Newly-purchased antiretroviral drugs (ART) are not reaching the hospitals or health facilities in the country because Customs is wasting time.
Health Minister Sir Puka Temu said apparently, the Customs officer responsible for inspecting the shipment has gone missing.
Health Minister Sir Puka Temu was responding to questions raised by Rigo MP, Lekwa Gure.
He said the ART drug has not completely run out but in short supply.
“Since I was informed as Minister that we were running out of ART, not out of stock but we’re very low because at the moment in the country are 26,000 HIV positive patients who are on ART.
“Last week I had a meeting with some of them and they raised the concerns themselves.
“We did an emergency order and I want to assure that 500,000 tablets are now sitting at Customs.
“We are waiting for the lady to do the assessment, and she’s gone missing.”
Minister Temu said he has asked the treasurer to find that woman responsible to do the assessment quickly.
Because of the urgency, they are requesting through a formal letter to release the drugs immediately while the assessment can be done later.
Because of this situation, UNICEF is stepping in to assist the Health Department with more supply of the ART drugs.
“UNICEF is now mobilising another three to four months’ worth of ART.
“I’m assured by our UNICEF team that they should be in the country within two weeks.”
Temu said the ones that the Department has as emergency have arrived and if they can bring those within two weeks, “we can have at least three months’ cover and then we can get back on track in providing 6 months of buffer for all medicines in the country so that we don’t run out”.
Meanwhile, Temu assures the country not to worry as the health sector has received a bigger slice of this year’s budget.
“Since the parliament passed the budget, the medical supply budget was one of the biggest that any government has ever allocated and so now we are on a catch up mode at the moment.”
(Health Minister Sir Puka Temu in parliament)