Take the blame for drug shortages

SOMEBODY has to cop the blame for the shortage of medicine in the country.
Whoever he or she is must admit to the people that the situation today would not have come about if they had addressed the issue quickly.
Someone or some officials were sitting on it and were forced to do something quickly about it when the drug shortage first surfaced.
It is totally unacceptable.
Today, the whole health system and, most importantly, the taxpayers who pay the officials’ salaries, are paying the price.
They have to buy their own medicine.
It is all because of the delay in contracting a new pharmaceutical supplier which is the administrative responsibility of the health department.
Those in the system know that procuring of medicines can take up to six months just to get them into the country, plus another month to send them from Port Moresby to other provinces.
The drug shortages in most areas can adversely affect drug therapy, compromise or delay medical procedure resulting in medication errors.
It has been explained that the process for ordering and supplying a minimum set of medical supplies across this country was very complex.
Reports say combating vaccine preventable diseases remains a major challenge in PNG because of inaccessibility, weak infrastructure and cold chain systems, funding, poverty and social inequities that all contribute to low immunisation coverage.
While we wait for authorities to sort themselves out, the message given to the general public is to look after yourselves, do not fight, or drink and drive, and always wash your hands and to ensure that your children are in a clean and safe environment.
This may sound trivial but this is reality as some hospitals are reporting a shortage of medicine while others have completely run out of stock.
Doctors use medicine to save lives and cure diseases and sicknesses.
Without medicine and funding, one cannot accept doctors to help patients.
One way of helping ourselves is to start saving money in case we will need to buy medicines from pharmacies or private hospitals.
The sad reality is that not everyone can afford to purchase medicines from pharmacies or private hospitals.
Let alone in rural areas, where there are no pharmacies or private hospitals.
Sadly, though one cannot tell rural health centres to manage their stock level to last for an intended period as no one knows when an outbreak can strike.
The whip must be cracked now, otherwise this whole laid-back attitude among some senior officials will continue.
Health secretary Dr Osborne Liko last month said he was aware of the situation, and the department was taking stock of emergency supplies.
Liko said they were working around the clock, advising suppliers to replenish stocks at all area medical stores at Badili, Lae, Kokopo, Mt Hagen and Wewak and distribute when ready.
With sincerity, we are doing the best we can for our people.
He added that the National Procurement Commission was also in the final stages of the tender process for the procurement, distribution and supply of medicine and pharmaceutical drugs.
We hope the department has made improvements in the overall procurement system.
The process of improving the manner in which much needed medical supplies are delivered to the right place at the right time will continue.
It does not take an Einstein to figure something like that out.
Planning and effective management, as most senior officials are aware of, are important.