The department says supply challenges have forced some facilities to reduce patients’ medication allocations from three months to one month.
By Mapaballo Borotho
Concerns have been raised after several patients were reportedly unable to obtain their prescribed medication at various health facilities across Gauteng.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the province raised the concerns earlier this week.
The Gauteng Department of Health has since confirmed medicine supply challenges at public health facilities, although it has not disclosed which specific health facilities are affected or how many patients have been impacted.
The department attributes the shortages to changes in medicine contracts, supplier delays, procurement lead times and broader pharmaceutical supply-chain pressures.
Phemelo Motene spoke to Gauteng Health spokesperson Steve Mabona on Kaya 959’s Point of View, where he acknowledged that the department was experiencing medicine shortages.
However, Mabona said the problem was not unique to Gauteng.
“It is happening all over the country,” he said.
“Gauteng actually surpasses all the other provinces in terms of managing stock, we operate at over 80% while all the other provinces are below that, including the Eastern Cape”.
Mabona confirmed that the province was currently experiencing low stock levels of hypertension and mental health medication.
He said the department had adjusted the amount of medication dispensed to some patients to help manage the available stock.
“So instead of giving a patient three months’ medication, but with the challenge that we are facing now we are giving them one month allocation so that we can manage these challenges,” he said.
Mabona also attributed some of the supply difficulties to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) withdrawing licences from more than 10 local manufacturers.
“Our suppliers who we are contracted to, rely heavily on the 10 manufacturers hence the delays in deliveries and procurement”.
How will affected patients be assisted?
Mabona said the department was working to help affected suppliers access international markets and identify alternative sources of medication beyond the manufacturers they had previously relied on.
He added that healthcare workers had been encouraged not to turn patients away when they arrived to collect their prescriptions, but to explore other options to assist those affected by the shortages.
Listen to the full conversation on Point of View. Kaya 959 podcasts are available to download.
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