Kapavore calls for efficiency

HEALTH and HIV/AIDS Minister Elias Kapavore, pictured, has called on health facilities to manage their stock levels efficiently and place medicine orders on time to respective area medical stores to obtain medicines and avoid shortages.
Kapavore said the Health Department was working hard to ensure that medicine woes were minimised by closely monitoring stock levels.
He said placing orders efficiently and following up with suppliers for timely delivery prevented shortages.
“The department is aggressively following up with suppliers to deliver medicines orders on time” Kapavore said.
“Reports of stealing of medicines around the country is also experienced. I have (alerted) health managers about stealing leakages.
“People found stealing medicines must be terminated on the spot.”
Kapavore said all 15 provincial transit medical and five area medical stores had 70 per cent of the commonly used medicines available.
“This information is based on the recently established mSupply system reports, which tracks all our stock levels and which medicines are on order at any one time,” he said.
“This figure means that there are some gaps in the medicines, which orders have been placed and are yet to come into the country.
“There are many reasons why medicines might not be available in health facilities.
Kapavore said that the Health Department was continuing to procure and monitor lifesaving medicines required by public health facilities.