Last Updated on: 31st March 2023, 05:28 pm
The Deputy Inspector General of Government (DIGG) Dr. Patricia Okiria Achan has detected expired drugs from Dufele health center III, in Moyo district.
She detected the expired drugs during her monitoring and evaluation tour of Displacement Response to Development Response Projects on March 29, and 30, 2023.
The drugs discovered to have expired includes Anti-malaria drugs in 30 small boxes that contain 5 strips, Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs of 100 tins, and ITP drugs administered to mothers to prevent unborn babies from getting TB.
Dr. Patricia Okiria Achan then told the journalists that she was on her tour of monitoring DRDIP projects to ensure the successful implementation of the DRDIP in line with its mandate to ensure transparency and accountability, effective service delivery, and value for money.
“I am disheartened to find out that drugs got expired yet we have poor mothers, and more than 6000 people who are supposed to be served by this facility,” Okiria said.
Okiria said some of the challenges she discovered are, insufficient power to run the facility and poor referral systems which makes people especially mothers suffer a lot.
She appealed to the leaders of the area to always give information to the people when National Medical Store (NMS) so that the essential drugs can be consumed before they get expired
She also noticed that under DRDIP there are health facilities that have been constructed but not equipped as the design of the project demands.
She appealed to the ministry of health to work closely with the DRDIP project to ensure that as soon as a project is constructed, the expected equipment must be in place to be able to render services to the population.
Mr. Isaac Draciri, the in charge of Dufele health center III confirmed the ‘discovery’ and said the drugs that expired were delivered by the NMS using the “push” systems, especially the TB drugs given to prevent unborn babies from getting TB.
He said the malaria drugs were supplied during the Covid-19 pandemic when there was a total lockdown.
He said the ARV drugs that got expired were due to policy matters, adding that the drugs were not supposed to be used which is why they got expired.
Draciri also revealed that the facility receives 100 to 150 patients at the Out Patients Department (OPD) daily which, according to him, would have consumed all the medicines if they were supplied using a pull system.
Ms. Kanta Lulua, the Moyo district vice chairperson observed that as a district they are appreciative of the findings of the Deputy Inspector General of Government, adding that they will try to work around and ensure that there is value for money for all government projects in the district.
“We have taken note of all the concerns and corrected all the anomalies recognized by the Deputy IGG to ensure our people get the best services,” she said.