The Department of Health in Limpopo has admitted to medicine shortage in the province. The department has placed the blame on the new I.T system at the pharmaceutical depot in Seshego.
The department’s spokesperson, Neil Shikwamba, says the system is struggling to dispense medicine to clinics over the past three months.
“It had become worse because some of the clinics that had stock, started running out of medicine,” says Shikwamba.
He says the system was implemented by the national health department and national treasury.
Staff at the depot has been instructed to revert to the manual system of allocating medication to clinics in the province.
“Pharmaceutical depot is full to capacity medicine supplies that can be taken to clinics but cannot be dispensed because the system doesn’t allow that part.”
Shikwamba says clinics in the region have now started receiving medication.
South African Association of Hospitals and Institutional Pharmacists (SAAHIP) has expressed its concern over the shortage of medication in the province.
Provincial chairperson Nhlanhla Mafarafara says not all facilities have received the medicine.
“We are concerned obviously with the lack of medicines, which affects services pharmacists ought to offer in the facility because our main resource is medicine,” says Mafarafara.
Article by: Neo Motloung
https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/concern-over-medicine-shortages-limpopo/
