UGANDA is facing a shortage of essential
drugs in Government health facilities, according to the latest report, “Stock status report as
at 1st October 2015,” by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Pharmacy
division.
The report shows most of essential
medicines such as reproductive health commodities, TB drugs, Antiretroviral
medicines, anti-malarial medicines, vaccines like polio oral trivalent,
measles, hepatitis B and BCG vaccines that treat common diseases like HIV/AIDS,
malaria, and opportunistic infections, diarrhoea, TB, diabetes and hypertension
are not readily available.
The supply gap for adult antiretroviral
therapy is US $ 47,425,412, Equivalent to 163,617,671,400 Uganda
shillings.
This serves to act as a warning indicator for potential
stock outs and possible expiries of essential medicines and health supplies.
The report also indicates that there will be drug stock out for one month and
if government does not do emergency procurement, there will be bigger stock out
in the next six months.
The report points out that National Medical Stores (NMS) has
run out stock of antiretroviral medicines such as Key adult First Line (TLE
&EFV 600mg), Second line (ATV/r, ABC/3TC) ARVs and pediatric AZT/3TC and
EFV.
The month’s stock of 30th September indicates
that Efavirenz 200mg, abacavir/lamivudine 600/300mg at Joint Medical Stores need
to be closely monitored. It is only
Medical Access Uganda limited which still has all antiretroviral commodities stocked.
ARVs are funded by
Government of Uganda (GOU), Global fund, UNITAID, and PEPFAR. The public sector
is funded by GOU and global. Public sector gaps are persistent annually since
global fund and GOU do not cover 100% of the need .PEPFAR gap fill in the
public sector ceased in early 2014
According to an official at MOH who did not want to disclose
his identity, the government had planned to give antiretroviral treatment to
814,855 people living with HIV this year but as of 1st October 2015 they
are 1,079,368 on treatment as a result of test and treat program.
The shipment of 2015/16 Global Fund consignments is expected
to arrive in November 2015 to alleviate the stock out situation. However the
expected Global Fund and Government of Uganda consignments do not cover the
total public sector needs for the year, more funding needs to be identified to
cover the missing gaps.
Joshua Wamboga, Executive Director of the Uganda Network of
AIDS Service Organisations (UNASO) said that if 1,079,368 out of the 1.4 million
Ugandans living with HIV are on treatment, that means that Uganda is close to
achieving the 90x90x90 UNAIDS goal.
He added that with challenges of drug stock out hitting
Uganda, the number of People Living with HIV cannot be sustained on treatment
and this will lead to problems of drug resistance.
“If a person on first line treatment, stop taking drugs his
body will become resistant to first line treatment and he will be required to
immediately start on second line treatment and those who face drug resistance
on second line will need to start on third line which is very expensive,” he
added.
Mr. Wamboga said that in the whole of Uganda, only 300
people are getting third line treatment from CDC, so the government of Uganda
must ensure that there are enough medicines to avoid drug resistance among
people living with HIV.
He also noted that government should plan sustainable
financing such as operationalization of the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF)
with sufficient funds, upfront investment and also ask donors to support new
WHO guidelines by making policy and programmatic changes to ensure that
resources are identified or reallocated to support the new HIV test and treat
WHO guidelines.
Consequently, Health civil society organizations
on Wednesday met with representatives from the Ministry of Health and USAID to
discuss the HIV and TB drug stock out in the country. Some of the organizations
included National Forum of People Living with HIV & AIDS, International
Community of Women Living with HIV in East Africa, UNASO, PATH-USAID, Action
Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS and Alliance for Integrated
Development and Empowerment, Coalition for Health Promotion and Social
Development and others.
According to these organizations, an essential
medicines crisis is looming in Uganda because a major stock-out is establishing
itself in government hospitals and clinics. The Civil society organizations demanded
that government of Uganda immediately reallocates funds to address stock out.
WRITTEN BY ESTHER NAMIRIMU| COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER OF UNASO
No comments:
Post a Comment