04 Feb 2018

Minister of Health and Wellness, Ms Dorcas Makgato says her ministry is aware of the current shortage of drugs in government facilities, and that as at end of December 2017, the overall average availability for vital, essential and necessary medicines was 72 per cent.

Ms Makgato said there were challenges with some medicines such as antibiotics and vitamin supplement, but she stated that for the majority of drugs, there were alternative drugs available for use.

Ms Makgato said to address the non-availability of vital and essential medicines, her ministry had given health facilities funds to source such items from the private market through micro-procurement, adding that health workers were encouraged to prescribe and use alternative medicines where possible.

She said her ministry was also aware that patients' showers and toilets at Parakarungu Clinic were not working.

She said maintenance scoping exercise was currently ongoing for all health facilities in the Chobe District, including Parakarungu Clinic.

Ms Makgato said maintenance work would then be planned and prioritised for implementation after the assessment when funds permits.

Kgosi Peter Chika III of Chobe region had asked the minister to explain when she intends to address the current shortage of drugs in government health facilities, and if she was aware that patient’s shower and toilets at

Parakarungu Clinic were not working, and if so, when she intends to fix them.

Responding to another question in which Kgosi Chika wanted the minister to explain when she intended to procure photocopying machines and a printer for the Parakarungu Clinic, Ms Makgato said her ministry had no plans to procure such machines for clinics including the Parakarungu Clinic due to financial constraints.

She said unds permits, high volume clinics would be considered for such equipment and smaller clinics could then be clustered around to share equipment.

Kgosi Chika also asked why patients were still referred to South Africa to under-go eye surgery when there were eye specialists at Scottish Livingstone Hospital, and the minister told the house that most of the patients that were now being referred to South Africa were those with retinal diseases.

She said the ophthalmologists that they had were those specialised on the anterior part and that they did not have specialists for the posterior part who were called vitro-retinal specialists hence they referred to South Africa. ENDS