Sir Puka confirms drug shortage

National

By REBECCA KUKU
HEALTH and HIV/AIDS Minister Sir Puka Temu has confirmed that some hospitals around the country are facing medicine shortages.
However, he said the department had placed emergency orders last year to address the shortages and medicines were starting to arrive in the country.
He made the statement in response to The National’s queries on when hospitals and health centres would receive their supplies as many had reported facing medicine shortage.
“Kits were assembled and packed in Port Moresby and distributed to seven ports across the country.”
“These kits arrived in each port from 28 December, 2018 to 2 January, 2019 and are now being distributed by contracted regional distributors to health centres and aid post nationwide.
“Hospitals should be receiving their supplies this week,” Sir Puka said.
He also said that the distribution of 100 per cent medical kits for health centres and aid posts started on Jan 7.
“Health centres and aid posts are generally appropriately supplied through the delivery of the 100 per cent medical kits.”
Sir Puka clarified that drugs for HIV/AIDs, TB and immunisation were procured directly through Unicef and the Global Drug Facility.
“According to stock reports which have for each of these programmes, there are at least three months’ supply for the country in anti-malarial, TB medical supplies, and immunisations and six months’ supply for HIV/AIDs and nine months’ for HIV test kits,” he said.
Sir Puka said that by next month all health facilities would have their medical supplies.