The Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, has revealed that in the joint operation of National Drug Authority (NDA), Police and Health Monitoring Unit (HMU), they have impounded 981 boxes of assorted medical items valued at Shs490 million of which some boxes had medicines intended for public health facilities.
The operations begun in Eastern Uganda and Kampala where teams conducted operations in five major shift markets in the districts of Bukedea, Soroti, Bulambuli, Manafwa, Serere, Budaka, Ngora, Mbale, Kaberamaido and Soroti.
The minister said the operations are aimed at intercepting dealers in medicines intended for public health facilities with intentions of selling them to the private sector or export them to other countries. The clampdown on a racket involved in deliberate alteration or re-labeling of expired medicine and prevent its use by the population and crack down on dealers in substandard, and counterfeit medicines.
“This pilferage compromises the quality of health service delivery hence discrediting government programmes and yet government continues to increase the medicines budget annually and improve the supply chain.” She said at Media Centre.
In the next financial year 2019/2020, the medicines budget has been increased by 24 per cent from Shs300 billion to Shs396 billion. Government has also ensured that there is no funding gap for ARVs and anti-malarial.
She expressed her concern over hawkers of medicine who have no knowledge in handling medicine, exposing the unsuspecting population to health risks with their unverified claims, “Such individuals sell substandard, fake, and counterfeit medicines.” She added.
“We call upon the public to join efforts with the Ministry of Health and NDA to eliminate this vice in shift markets, in parks, buses and other public places. If you stop buying drugs from hawkers, they will abandon the vice.” She noted.
She appealed to all stakeholders and the wider public not to steal or sell medicines meant for the population of Uganda and called on the public to guard medicines supplied by government so that they are accessed by the population at no cost as indicated on the packages, “Not for Sale”.
