Govt working to fix issues with supply of medical drugs: Wong

By LULU MARK
HEALTH Minister Jelta Wong says the Government is working to fix issues within the medical supply system that are preventing drugs from reaching rural areas on time.
He was responding to questions by Kiriwina-Goodenough MP Douglas Tomuriesa regarding an outbreak of a disease with flu-like symptoms in the islands that had not received supplies from the Health Department in the last six months.
Tomuriesa said over the last seven years, companies contracted to deliver drugs to the district were not doing so and only leaving the supplies at Alotau which caused them to expire while awaiting transport to the islands.
He asked Wong when the Health Department and contractors would improve their efforts to ensure vital medicines reached the health facilities on time.
Wong said it was an issue the Government would try to resolve over the coming months with its programmes one of which was using drones to deliver medicines to remote islands.
“As the good member has said, it’s (system) lacking in delivery (of medicines) right into rural areas,” he said.
Wong said he would work with the Milne Bay health authority to find the best way to rectify the problem and ensure the people received medicines.
“We will get to the bottom of this and find out why the logistics companies are dumping medicines at the provincial headquarters instead of delivering them to the rural areas because that is what they are paid to do,” he said.