Pharmacists to partner govt to curb drug theft
Pharmaceutical Society Malawi (Phasom) has pledged to partner government in the fight against drug theft challenges in the country’s public health facilities.
The society’s president Enock Foster, who has led the grouping for about a year, said in an interview on the sidelines of its annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday that it proposed stiffer punishment for perpetrators of drug theft.
He said: “We need to discipline people that are involved in drug theft. This is an issue to do with us as a society. If our member is involved in stealing medicine, he or she ceases to be our member.
“We have to work hand in hand with Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board that these people who are stealing medicines, be it from our society or somewhere, should face stiff punishment because what they are doing is medicine abuse. We are not only doing that, but also we will be part of the Ministry of Health.”
Recently, police arrested four people for allegedly stealing drugs worth millions of kwacha from various public institutions following a strategic operation Ministry of Health (MoH) held in conjunction with Malawi Police Service (MPS).
MoH spokesperson Joshua Malango welcomed the move, saying government is ready to work with the society and other individuals in the fight against drug theft.
He said: “This is a very welcome initiative and the way to go. MoH is committed to working with all Malawians and associations that have the heart to serve and protect interests of our people. MoH will surely engage the association to look at ways of that collaboration.”
MoH established an Anti-Drug Theft Fight Unit, which has so far led to recovery of medicines stolen from public hospitals this year through a number of operations conducted.
United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Malawi Virginia Palmer, whose country is one of the major financiers of the health sector, is on record as having advised government to explore stringent measures that would end the spirit of stealing drugs in hospitals.
Malawi Health Equity Network (Mhen) executive director George Jobe also recently proposed to government to engage stakeholders in the fight against drug pilferage.
A ministerial statement presented in Parliament in 2017 showed that out of the K17.2 billion budget for drugs approved by Parliament in the 2016/17 financial year, K1.5 billion worth of drugs was lost to theft at various levels in the public health sector.
In 2016 alone, 125 people were arrested in connection with drug theft. Out of the cases, 64 are still pending in court while 30 were convicted.
Phasom has a membership of about 700 individuals. n
