The State House Health Monitoring Unit on Tuesday displayed an assortment of drugs that were recently found in a house in Nansana worth Shs1.5bn.
According to the Executive Director of the Health Monitoring Unit Dr. Warren Namara, they were tipped off by some of the area residents. The drugs in questions are suspected to have been stolen from various government stores or health facilities.
The discovered drugs include; Antiretrovirals, Antibiotics, Lab test tubes among others. Currently, the suspect whose name is known as Waiswa is on the run however Dr. Namara has confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation intended to get the entire group.
“There are different sets of medicaments that were impounded from this store whose owner is called Waiswa. He could be a doctor or some trader in drugs. What we have discovered is capable of manning a medium-sized hospital. There are assorted antibiotics, ARVs, contraceptives, laboratory equipment’s and reagents,” said Dr. Namara.
He added that it is such a sad story that in such a time where the country is battling with covid-19, some unscrupulous fellow steals drugs that are meant for the public and stash it away.
“It is very likely these drugs were meant to get out of this country but all to enrich an individual other than manning the public it’s a very sad story but the country should know that we shall not give up until we wipe out the entire group behind this evil practice because this is not a one-person activity, it’s a cartel and we must destroy it as soon as possible.”
Stealing drugs in government health facilities has always been a challenge within the health sector where drugs which are not meant for sale are always being sold in private hospitals which at times owned by doctors who work at the same time in government hospitals.
In the recent survey by the National Drug Authority, it was discovered that 30 percent of the government drugs in public hospitals are stolen right from referral hospitals up to Health centers and this practice is across the country.
The survey also showed that the most targeted drugs by thieves are for Malaria and HIV and after stealing them they are then smuggled to neighbouring countries or sell to private clinics and drug shops in the country.
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