North West public health clinics struggle to keep up with medicine demand

david shedrack May 27, 2023 in Uncategorized - 3 Minutes

by David Shedrack

Patients in North West have complained of being turned away from clinics because of a shortage of medication.
MEC Madoda Sambatha said the department would continue to engage provincial and national treasuries in seeking a solution to the matter.
He said the department had managed to set up Pele Boxes through a partnership with developmental partners as part of the interventions.

A North West woman who had to rush her son to Khuma Clinic in Stilfontein after he presented mumps symptoms was allegedly turned away as there was no medication.

While delivering the provincial department’s budget vote speech, Health MEC Madoda Sambatha said the medicine budget baseline was not in line with the service demands.

The 28-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said it was the first time she had visited the clinic. She often heard people complaining about not getting their medication.

She said: “My son had mumps symptoms for… four days. On Monday, I decided to take him to the clinic. I was disappointed when I was told there was no medication and I had to go and get medicine at the pharmacist.”

Early this month, the province experienced a mumps outbreak, and Sambatha said cases had quickly climbed to 342.

A 55-year-old woman in Jouberton said she went to get her high blood pressure medication at Tsholofelo Clinic but was turned away.

She said:

I did not have money to buy at the chemist, so I went to Tshepong Hospital, where I was given medication for six months with no hassles. I don’t know what seems to be the problem in our clinic. They are forever without medication.

News24 learnt that the affected clinics were in Matlosana in areas around Klerksdorp, Khuma, Stilfontein, Jouberton and Alabama, among others.

Sambatha said medicine availability remain a critical strategic imperative that the department would continue to pursue.

“In the current financial year, the medicine availability has been stabilised above 81%. As of the end of February, antiretrovirals were at 89.5%. The expanded immunisation programme remained above 93.4%, contraceptives at 94.6%, TB at 79%, oncology at 81% and diabetes mellitus at 85.8%.

“A reporting rate of 94% has improved medicine availability management, which has allowed us to actively manage medicine distribution effectively,” Sambatha said.

He said the financial management of pharmaceuticals had been improved, resulting in 99% of the 2022/23 accruals being paid and operating the first 10 months of the year without accounts being put on hold.

“However, what remains is the medicine budget baseline that is still not in line with the service demands. The department will continue to engage provincial and national treasuries in seeking solutions to this matter,” he said.

He said the department had managed to set up Pele Boxes through a partnership with developmental partners as part of the interventions.

“The Pele Boxes are smart lockers used as a part of the facility’s fast lane modality, and it provides stable chronic patients with medication from the locker at any time, even after hours, without the assistance of any health worker.

“The Pele Boxes expand access and reduce patients’ waiting time to only two minutes. The department has installed the boxes at 20 public health facilities across the four districts,” he said.