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‘Medicine shortages in NW main cause behind defaulting among chronic patients’

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A recent report by an organisation called Ritshidze, shows that health facilities in the North West are still plagued by various challenges including shortages of medicine and vaccines.

The report states that there were 398 reports of shortage of medication across 57 facilities and this is one of the major reasons that lead to patients defaulting on treatment.

The organisation uses a system of community-led monitoring that has been developed by people living with HIV and activists to hold the South African government and aid agencies accountable and together improve HIV and TB service delivery.

Facilities far from communities

It is reported that in some villages in the North West, healthcare facilities are far removed from the locals. Many are from impoverished areas plagued by social-ills including unemployment and poverty.

They do not always have money for public transport and are walk a couple of kilometres in adverse weather conditions to collect treatment at healthcare facilities.

Arriving there, they have to queue for hours and hours only to return home empty-handed because there is no medication, residents say this is one of the major reasons that discourages them from going to clinics.

They say the queues are too long even if they make it to the clinic before 7am, they would only get attended to after 6pm due to the slow moving queues. The residents add, “Sometimes, when you’re finally helped, you’re told that there’s no medication, that’s our main concern.”

Another resident says sometimes they are given five tablets each, which they share among themselves as there isn’t enough.

“Then they give us a different date, but when we go on that new date, we are still told that there’s no medication.”

“They told me that they don’t have the medication that I need, so they wrote a prescription for me and told me to go and buy them at the pharmacy. I’m unemployed, what will I buy them with?” asks a frustrated resident.

Medication shortage leads to defaulting

According to Ritshidze, this is one of the main reasons that lead to patients defaulting on treatment for serious illnesses such as hypertension, Tuberculosis and HIV.

Ritshidze Project Officer Ndivhuwo Rambau, “We are finding that the North West is slagging behind in the supply of Anti Retro Virals (ARVs), with just 6% of people living with HIV interviewed, report a three-month Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) refill compared to 25% in the same reporting period last year. Extending ARV refills is an important strategy to support people living with HIV to remain on treatment as well ease the burden on already stretched facilities,” explains Rambau.

The pharmaceutical manager of the North West Department of Health, Omphemetse Mokgatlhe, admits that it has been challenging ensuring that all health facilities have enough medication at all times.

“Since 2018, during the strike, there was a problem of shortage of medicine because the companies could not deliver the medicine. After that, COVID also impacted negatively on us of which some companies could not deliver the medicine,” says Mokgatlhe.

The Department says it has requested Treasury to increase its budget specifically for medication to ensure that public healthcare facilities do not run out of medication.

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