ActionSA has called for the resignation of KwaZulu Natal (KZN) Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, over her “dishonesty” about medicine shortages in the province. 

Earlier this week the department spokesperson, Ntokozo Maphisa, denied reports of a shortage of essential medication in public hospitals and clinics. This came after ActionSA wrote a letter urging Simelane to visit various healthcare facilities to assess the situation. 

“We categorically refute these claims. All inspections revealed that sufficient stocks of essential medication are available and accessible to our healthcare facilities,” Maphisa says. 

Health-e News spoke to patients and staff at several facilities, who all claim there are medicine shortages. 

“Every time I come to Waterfall Clinic I don’t get all my pills. And if I ask the clinic’s staff nobody seems to know why,” says Zethu Ziqubu from KwaNqetho who collects blood pressure medication from the facility.

Mlungisi Zulu from Embo who usually collects his pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at Philakade Clinic told Health-e News that he only received one month’s supply instead of two to three month’s supply, so he will have to return to the facility next month. 

“When I asked the staff nurse why I was receiving one bottle, she told me that there was a shortage of supply from the manufacturers. I found that so disturbing because I am trying, by all means, to protect myself from getting  HIV,  but the Department of Health in KZN is failing us when it comes to this prevention pill.” 

Sthandwa Zulu says she went to St Mary’s Hospital last week to collect her ARVs. She was given two bottles instead of the three she usually gets.  “When I asked them they told me about Trump’s announcement of suspending PEPFAR, so they are saving the medication for everyone.”

Many patients have raised the issue of medicine shortages on the KZN health department’s Facebook page. 

A professional nurse from Halley Stott Clinic, who does not want to be mentioned by name because she is not authorised to speak with the media, states that often the pharmacy department doesn’t receive all of the medications it orders from the depot. 

‘No medicine shortage’

On Monday the MEC and her team paid an unscheduled visit to the Provincial Pharmaceutical Supply Depot (PPSD) in Clairwood, Victoria Mxenge Regional Hospital in Umbilo, and the Cato Manor Community Health Centre. It was during this visit that the department concluded that there was no medicine shortage in the province. 

“The department is closely monitoring procurement processes to ensure that healthcare facilities procure only the supplies that they need. These changes are part of austerity measures that have been designed to ensure the most efficient use of the resources we have,” adds Maphisa. 

PPSD manager Thandeka Njapha also denies the reports of medicine shortages. 

“It is not true that KZN has a shortage of medication. We are managing the stock strictly to avoid wasting and/or overstocking. But we haven’t stopped placing orders and distributing to various health facilities,” says Njapha.

According to Maphisa and Njapha, some facilities used to order more medicine than they needed. This would result in the drugs expiring, sitting unused on pharmacy shelves.  

Thandeka Magwaza*,  a professional nurse at St Mary’s Hospital refutes these claims. She accuses the KZN Department of Health of being dishonest about the delivery of medication, saying the PPSD regularly delays orders.

“My question is, how long does it take to distribute medication to the clinics and hospitals from the depot; does it take a whole year? If there are boxes of medication at the PPSD, then why is it not reaching our clinics and hospitals in time?  Also, to clarify, there has never been a case where medications expired and went to waste because it was overstocked,” she says. 

Longstanding issue 

In January the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in the province raised concerns about the shortage of critical medication including ARVs.  

But Maphisa is steadfast that there’s been no shortage of medication in the province since January, despite the difficulties posed by ongoing budgetary constraints and the challenging economic climate. – Health-e News

*Not her real name