| Nezam Ali, a resident of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo recently suffered a stroke, and blames it on the lack of drugs and equipment at both the Tuschen Health Centre and the Leonora Cottage Hospital.According to the elderly man who is diabetic,NFL Jerseys Supply, a few weeks ago, he started visiting the health centre repeatedly to have his blood sugar level monitored.The Tuschen Health Centre is one of several public health institutions experiencing drug shortages.However, he claimed he was told by nurses there that this could not be done since there were no machines or strips to do so.A few days later, Ali developed complications due to his condition and had to be rushed to the Emergency Unit of the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where he said he was told that there wasn’t an adequate supply of medication.Ali subsequently suffered a mild stroke, andKaieteur News understands that both public health facilities are in short supply of basic drugs like cold and cough medicines.“Not even for children,” Ali stressed.Meanwhile, Karmachand Motilall of Lot 224 Belle West, Canal No. Two, West Bank Demerara complained that the same problem is being experienced at the Belle West Health Centre. He highlighted that this is a worrying situation, since the precious lives of persons are involved.In speaking with Kaieteur News, Alliance For Change (AFC) Councillor of Region Three, Harry Deokinanan said that he brought the issue up for discussion at a recent statutory meeting, but was told by the Region’s Health Officer,Cheap Jerseys Store, Nadia Coleman, that the nurses at the various institutions are to be blamed, since they did not submit the list of needed drugs.Deokinanan however noted that that was a “silly” excuse,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, since it is unlikely that nurses at more than one public health institution, “all forgot to submit the list.”Just yesterday, Kaieteur News published an article in which Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud,Authentic Adidas Hockey Jerseys China, confirmed that several public health institutions have been experiencing drug shortages.Dr. Persaud said that the Ministry of Health has recognized this state of affairs as being a daunting dilemma,Supply Cheap Jerseys, and has been seeking to reverse the trend which has been plaguing the public health sector since late last year.Dr. Persaud also acknowledged that there cannot be a good outcome if the health sector is not able to provide the proper health care, an important aspect of which includes the availability of medication.The CMO pointed out that one of the primary reasons for the shortage is in fact linked to the tendering process which sometimes sees the supplier(s) failing to comply with the recommended delivery schedules.Dr. Persaud told Kaieteur News that Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry Leslie Cadogan has been working in collaboration with the Deputy Permanent Secretary to address this situation that has the potential of greatly affecting the proper delivery of health care.Persaud in his deliberation disclosed that while in previous times the Health Ministry hadn’t the capacity to store its own medication, such a challenge no longer exists.However, he mentioned that there remains caution in procurement; since there are some medications that have a relatively short shelf life.Moreover, he explained that although the Ministry would tender for medication for an entire year, some are delivered in tranches to cover the need for three to six months. And since the utilisation of these medications is likely to vary at various health facilities, there is a possibility that the limited supply may not span the entire period it was estimated for. This could therefore, result in the shortage situation, Dr Persaud expounded.Another way in which the shortage situation can occur, he explained, is via the process of distribution. According to Dr. Persaud, “sometimes the items may be present but it is not getting to the peripheral levels, especially at the health centres and some of our hospitals and so on. It might be held in a bond or somewhere,Cheap Jerseys, but we are working to see how best we can strengthen those (regional) distributions with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.”AFC Councillor, Deokinanan believes that the situation of drug shortages is unacceptable, and should never occur.He is calling for the administration to put systems in place so as to ensure that such scenarios are not repeated. |
