Mapaballo Borotho

- The Gauteng Department of Health has assured residents that public health facilities remain well-stocked with medication despite global supply chain challenges.
- Hospitals maintain a 95% availability of all formulary medicines and 98% for essential drugs.
- The Medical Supply Depot also received a clean audit, with no reported stockouts or procurement issues.
The Gauteng Department of Health has reassured residents that public health facilities across the province will not face medication shortages, despite ongoing global pharmaceutical supply chain challenges.
This follows concerns raised by the Democratic Alliance (DA) regarding delays in medicine delivery, particularly linked to the performance of the province’s Medical Supply Depot.
The DA claimed these delays have led to patients waiting longer to collect their prescriptions at public health facilities.
In response, Gauteng Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba stated that there have been no systematic stockouts reported during the past or current financial year.
He noted that public hospitals in the province maintain an average of 95% availability for all formulary medicines and 98% for essential medicines.
While global shortages of specific medications such as rifampicin, isoniazid, and other tuberculosis treatments have affected supply chains worldwide, Gauteng has implemented effective contingency measures to ensure uninterrupted access to treatment,” Modiba said. These measures include sourcing suitable therapeutic alternatives and improving planning in collaboration with clinical and pharmaceutical teams.
Modiba further confirmed that public health facilities continue to dispense prescribed medication as required and that no facility has reported critical shortages.
From a governance and financial perspective, the Medical Supply Depot received an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General for the 2024/25 financial year. The audit found no non-compliance issues related to medicine procurement and distribution. The depot also received a clean performance audit for meeting its strategic objectives.
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