Back to Index

ARVs running out - official
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
May 03, 2006

http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=2753&cat=1&livedate=5/03/2006

THE National Pharmaceutical Company (Natpharm) is left with less than a month's supply of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for 20 000 people that are on the national programme.

Natpharm acting managing director Mr Charles Mwaramba said this during a tour of Natpharm drug stores by the Parliamentary portfolio committee on Health and Child Welfare in Harare yesterday. The tour was meant to assess the availability of drugs. Mr Mwaramba said most of the drugs were being imported from overseas. "There are 20 000 people on the ARVs national programme . . . we have less than a month's supply of the vital drugs and that is not encouraging," he said.

He said Natpharm - formerly Government Medical Stores - had applied for more money from the Global Fund to purchase ARVs for a further 25 000 people in need but it would take some months before those drugs are made available. Mr Mwaramba told members of the committee that Natpharm stores had 342 different types of drugs against a requirement of 699 types. From January to March this year, the company was allocated US$106 000 by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) against the US$7,4 million it required. "We understand that drugs are also competing with other items like fuel for foreign currency but the picture is not encouraging. We have been trying to contact the RBZ for decent amounts of foreign currency but that has not been successful," said Mr Mwaramba. He said the European Union (EU) had been chipping-in in supplying various types of drugs to Natpharm.

The Clinton Foundation, he said, also donated ARVs in liquid form that were to assist about 1 000 children. The committee heard that drugs for anaesthesia were 88 percent available at the company, painkillers 75 percent, Tuberculosis (TB) 50 percent, Diabetics drugs at 40 percent and blood pressure drugs at 47 percent availability. Exchange rate instability, Mr Mwaramba said, made it difficult for the company to plan ahead. He said the company was owed more than $200 billion by different institutions and that money should be paid immediately to improve the company's cash flow. "We also need to revive bilateral trade agreements with countries like Malaysia, India and others as a way forward. We also need to have a guaranteed foreign currency availability and a stable exchange rate," he said. He said Natpharm's aim was to distribute drugs to every clinic countrywide but some of them were not accessible while in some cases, drugs were stolen once they were delivered.

In March this year, five doctors and five other people including three security guards were arrested on allegations of conniving to steal drugs worth billions of dollars from Natpharm. Although an audit said drugs worth a total of $7,4 billion were stolen, said Mr Mwaramba, the total prejudice to the company was $351 million. Speaking after the tour, acting chairperson of the 17-member committee, Marondera-Seke Senator Cde Tracy Mutinhiri (Zanu-PF) said the levels of drug stock at the company were very low and it was a cause of concern. "We are however, impressed by the introduction of ARVs in liquid form, contraception drug stocks are good and we also thank donations from UN (United Nations) agencies," she said. Sen Mutinhiri said the money owed to Natpharm should be paid on time so that the drugs can be distributed to all clinics.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP