Patients hit hard

By DOROTHY MARK
SICK people in Madang will dig deeper into their pockets to pay for medicines as hospitals and clinics in the province have run out of them.
In an internal memo dated June 6 and signed by the director for nursing services, Dr  Vincent Atua, to Modilon Hospital staff,  patients were to be advised to use their prescriptions and pay for their medicines in local pharmacies because the hospital has run out of them.
“Our drug and medical supplies are at critical levels and will be enough for only inpatients,” Atua said.
He said the hospital would supply only those medicines that the hospital had adequate amounts.
“Once we have adequate supplies, we will be able to return to normal services,” Atua said.
Medicines out of stock in the hospital were:  cloramphenical, Mala 1, amoxil, septrin, fansidar, flagyl,  indocid, panadol, asprin and primaquine and 10 others.
Debra Malai a patient interviewed on Friday said she was advised to pay for Mala 1 treatment at the pharmacists in town.
Igob Sama, another patient refered from Walium Health Centre, said he got some medicines from the Modilon Hospital dispensary but was told to pay for three other medicines elsewhere.
Gusap Health Centre, which is struggling with the issue of malaria outbreak within its catchment, reported that it ran out of drug supplies.