THE situation relating to drug supplies in Lae presents some curious and disturbing aspects.
On the one hand we have complaints from clinics in Lae that their drug supplies have run out and they are unable to fill drug orders through the Health department’s Area Medical Stores.
The officer in charge of the medical stores has placed the blame on criminals who break into the stores and steal drugs. These later re-appear on the streets and at markets and are sold at a lower price.
There is some evidence to support this claim.
Attempts have been made
recently to sell drugs at outlets as far away as Madang, with those seeking middlemen freely admitting that the illegal supplies had come from Lae.
The first question must be how these criminals are able, apparently on a regular basis, to enter the medical stores building and make off with substantial quantities of drugs.
These alleged thefts have been publicly referred to before.
It seems strange that the Health department at provincial or even national level has so far been unable to effectively protect these vital medical supplies from organised criminal attack.
The provincial police command must be aware of these criminal activities and we assume they have been approached to assist in guarding the stores.
Yet the thefts appear to continue.
On the other hand we have had reports that a considerable quantity of drugs has been discovered dumped at Voco Point.
The public has been warned not to buy any of these drugs as most of them are said to be outdated and may therefore pose some threat to those who use them.
We have been assured that these drugs were not stolen from the medical stores and the theory has been put forward that they were dumped by commercial pharmacies or private doctors.
This suggestion so far appears to lack any firm supportive evidence.
It is difficult to credit that pharmacists associated with the two major chains of retail outlets in PNG would risk deregistration by dumping drugs in a public place.
Doctors who hold limited supplies of drugs seem to offer an even more improbable solution.
Then there is the issue of accountability. Doctors and pharmacists are required to keep strict records of the drugs they dispense. Presumably these records are open to investigation.
It should be relatively straightforward to pinpoint any discrepancies that might lead to suspicions of illegal dispensing or trading.
Should such illegal activities be proven to be taking place, then other issues arise.
It seems criminal that drugs expire and are dumped while at the same time, clinics in the same city are crying out for supplies.
If pharmacists and doctors have such substantial supplies of drugs that they expire before they can be sold or used, then there would seem to be the need to establish a dialogue between the private sector and the apparently drug-strapped medical stores.
Further, it appears highly unlikely that private doctors or pharmacists would be dumping any substantial supplies of drugs, since to do so on a regular basis would presumably send them bankrupt.
Drugs for private retail or surgery sale do not come cheaply.
And if most of the drugs being illegally sold are expired stock, yet we are assured that they do not come from Health department stores, what is happening to the drugs allegedly stolen from those stores?
Lae is a city and one with more than its fair share of social and community problems.
But it is hard to believe that it is unique.
We are unaware of major drug scandals of this alleged scale occurring in other cities and towns.
Why then is Lae so affected?
There are too many unanswered questions and we believe that the time has come for the professional associations to begin investigations into these matters.
It is in the interests of the nation’s pharmacists and doctors, two skilled groups of men and women who are indispensable to the people of our nation, that a transparent investigation be undertaken immediately.
Lifetime of dedicated work can be destroyed overnight by smeared reputations.
We need to get to the bottom of the Lae drug mystery as a matter of priority.