By SIMON MUNTEMBATHE supply chain system of medicines was hijacked by the middlemen who made the cost of medicines, extremely high, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Administration, George Magwende has said.Speaking when he appeared before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Dr Magwende said the procurement system had been hijacked by the middlemen who make the cost of these medicines unacceptably high.This was after Chadiza Member of Parliament (MP) Jonathan Daka asked him as controlling officer why patients were regularly given prescriptions at hospitals and clinics when the ministry was adequately funded in the budget.Dr Magwende, who acknowledged the trend, said the issuance of prescriptions only was deeply regretted.He explained that one of the reasons was shortages of medicines due to pilfering and inadequate purchases of the required medicines in hospitals.The Ps added that there was shortages of medicines in hospitals because of misplaced priorities in the purchasing profiles of the type of medicines […]
‘MIDDLE MEN’ HIJACKED MEDICINE SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM-PS
