17 Feb 2019

Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Biggie Butale says there is shortage of some eye drops at Scottish Livingstone Hospital. Member of Parliament for Molepolole South, Dr Tlamelo Mmatli had asked the minister to inform Parliament on the continuous shortage of essential eye drops and drugs at Scottish Hospital.

Mr Butale said “currently there are three types of eye drops that are not in stock. Homatrophine two per cent, which has been out of stock since September 2018, Tetracycline one per cent ointment which ran out first week of February 2019 and Tetracaine 0.5 per cent eye drops which has been out of stock for more than six months.

Homatrophine and Tetracaine drops are difficult to source from the market,” he said, adding that all the three types of eye drops had alternatives. Mr Butale further said where the drug was not available prescribers were encouraged to use alternatives. ENDS