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Three major Bulawayo hospitals lost drugs – including anti-retrovirals – as well as medical equipment worth millions of United States dollars that expired in storerooms at the institutions. The affected institutions are Ingutsheni Central, United Bulawayo and Mpilo Central hospitals. The state of affairs at the hospitals came to light after a fact-finding mission by the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Child Care chaired by MP Dr Ruth Labode.
MPs raised serious concerns about the huge quantities of expired drugs at the hospitals, which they said could reflect poor management of medicines at Government health institutions that ironically complain about shortage of medicines and consumables.
The committee was also shocked that hospital bosses drove top-of-the-range vehicles leased at high rates when their institutions were struggling to provide services.
MPs saw a room full of expired drugs at Ingutsheni, while the UBH storeroom had been cleared and the expired drugs burnt in what legislators believed was a cover-up.
At Mpilo, the committee was told of a room filled with expired drugs.
Dr Labode said it was sad that even ARVs had been allowed to expire.
“We observed that a lot of drugs expired in the institutions and it is very sad. Our Government at the present moment can’t buy drugs because of budget constraints and the few we receive from donors are being allowed to expire in these hospitals,” she said.
Zanu-PF legislator for Gokwe-Mapfungautsi Cde Miriam Makweya said reports of drugs being stolen from health institutions were likely substanitated by the lack of accountability they had witnessed.
It emerged yesterday that chief executive officers of the three institutions were driving Mercedes-Benz’ hired from CMED (Pvt) Ltd at about US$6 000 monthly each and cosnumed up to 420 litres in that period.
Ingutsheni’s Dr Leonard Mabhande, Mpilo’s Dr Lawrence Mantiziba and UBH’s Nonhlanhla Ndlovu are driving the luxury cars.
Online Reporter