Medicine supplies due soon, says Kase

THE Health Department has paid K35 million to the five major medicine suppliers and is confident stock they ordered overseas in June will arrive shortly.
Health Secretary Pascoe Kase, pictured, said they were closely monitoring with the suppliers the arrival of the ordered medicine.
He was responding to the concern raised by one of the suppliers, City Pharmacy Limited, that the ongoing foreign exchange shortage could affect the overseas orders for medicine.
Company chairman Mahesh Patel said the foreign exchange shortage was affecting its working relationship with its medicine suppliers overseas.
Kase said he was confident that the supplies would arrive.
“I don’t think I’m the competent authority to address foreign exchange matters,” he said.
“I would leave the central bank to manage that matter.
“What I can say is that we have placed our orders already in June this year and our orders are coming in.
“We are also closing monitoring the supplies that are yet to come into the country.”
Meanwhile, some hospitals have also complained about the medicine shortage again despite the department’s assurance that the medical stores were fully stocked.
Kase had advised hospitals and provincial health authorities to arrange with the Health Department to store their medicine requirements to avoid shortage.
He warned that there should be regular communications between hospitals, provincial health pharmacies and the medical stores.