MOYO DISTRICT HEALTH DEPARTMENT CALLS FOR PROPER MANAGEMENT OF GOVERNMENT MEDICINES

Health in-charges and other health professionals during the health review meeting

By Araba Kalsum  

Moyo

The Moyo District Health Department has called on health workers to be conscious of government medicines, urging health facility in-charges to establish and functionalise Medicines and Therapeutics Committees, commonly known as MTCs, to ensure proper management and accountability of drugs.

The department says proper management of government medicines is critical in preventing wastage and ensuring that drugs are available to patients who need them.

Dr Chandi Michael Opeli, the Medical Superintendent of Moyo General Hospital, said proper management of medicines will help health workers avoid challenges when accounting to government for the drugs received.

“At our work stations, at all times, we should provide the quality services that are required of us. Whenever we encounter challenges, we should approach our leaders and they should respond to us. More so, stakeholders should give us clear information on what we have.

First of all, it is medicine management. All facilities are supposed to functionalise their Medicines and Therapeutics Committees, the MTCs. In case you have not been having one, this is high time you do it because decisions related to medicines are very critical, and the government is following accountability for all medicines that we receive, including the supplies.

That means in your PHT, when you are doing your planning, you should be able to plan for your MTCs,” said Chandi.

Meanwhile, Adrigwe Fred, an enrolled nurse at Chokwe Health Centre II, urged the district leadership to establish a well-defined code of conduct and protocol for the proper distribution and storage of medicines.

“Basically, to us, we talked about drugs. My point is, if, as a district, you can sit and have a very well-set protocol for drug redistribution within the district, it will be better. Like maybe the DHO store can inform the in-charges which drugs are available, and we can have a schedule where excess drugs are redistributed or distributed, such that drugs do not expire,” Adrigwe stressed.

However, the Assistant District Health Officer in charge of Environmental Health, Amoko Stephen, acknowledged that coordination and leadership at district level need to be strengthened to ensure proper management of medicines.

He said the district will ensure that health facilities establish the required committees to oversee the distribution and utilization of government medicines.

“I am sure in the next sitting, we will make sure our health facilities from the different departments form these committees to take good care of our medicines so they are well distributed and utilised,” Amoko affirmed.

Government medicines are considered vital in saving lives, and health workers have been urged to ensure their proper storage, distribution, utilization and accountability to prevent wastage and expiry.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis