Shortage of Drugs Leads to Illegal Selling by Villagers in Makira
By Alfred Pagepitu
The Makira-Ulawa Provincial Health Director, Dr. John Harara has expressed grave concern over the illegal selling of medicines by non-medical personnel in the province.
The issue was raised amidst the critical shortage of essential medicines at the local hospital.
Dr. Harara stressed that the practice is unacceptable and poses serious health risks to the public.
“This is not right according to medical regulations and standard, because drug dispensing is only for people who have the license to prescribe medicines, as they know the physiology of drugs in terms of side effects or other complications,” he stated.
The Health Director explained that the shortage of malaria drugs at the hospital has led to a concerning situation where people in the community, who have no medical training, have started buying these drugs in Honiara and selling them in the villages.
He urged the communities to refrain from purchasing medicines from unauthorized individuals.
“The fear here is when you feel Malaria but you got the medicine, you might risk yourself. So we encourage the community to come over to the clinic to do a proper check in the clinic and then you can get the right medicine and treatment,” he said.
Dr. Harara also revealed that an investigation is currently being conducted by Health authorities and the Pharmacy department at the hospital to assess the situation.
He acknowledged that some community members are using local herbs to treat malaria, but cautioned against this practice, stating that these herbs “don’t have a synthetic name on it and don’t have any proper test in the lab to confirm what type of herbs is the best to destroy sickness.”
In a statement issued today, the National Referral Hospital (NRH) and the National Medical Stores (NMS) have called on the public to report any illegal drug sales, following allegations on the involvement of some of their staff in this illicit trade.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has also assured that stringent measures will be implemented at the NRH and the NMS to ensure proper handling and distribution of medicines and medical supplies, in an effort to address the shortage of drugs.
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