South Africa records critical shortage of 165 medicines — TimesLIVE
State hospitals and clinics in South Africa are facing a critical shortage of essential medicines, forcing healthcare facilities to seek substitutes and, in some cases, issue patients prescriptions to buy drugs from private pharmacies. As TimesLIVE reports, the country’s Health Ministry listed 165 medicines in its October critical shortage list, including drugs for treating cancer and severe mental illnesses.
More than one-seventh of the list at risk
The ministry’s November essential medicines list contains 1,135 items that provincial health departments may procure. More than one in seven medicines on this list is at risk of stocks being depleted.
Andy Gray, a senior lecturer in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, called the situation the worst it has ever been. According to him, the shortages affect psychiatry, oncology, HIV treatment and non-communicable diseases. He linked the problems to a combination of domestic and international factors, including congestion at the Port of Durban, production delays caused by the conflict in the Middle East, and restricted movement of goods through the Strait of Hormuz.
Debts and production problems
Gray also said that some pharmaceutical companies had stopped supplying provincial departments because of unpaid bills. The shortage list states that suppliers blocked some accounts in the Eastern Cape, North West and Northern Cape provinces due to non-payment.
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Health Ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale said that the reasons for the disruptions include some local manufacturers with government contracts failing to comply with regulatory standards. As a result, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority shut down certain production lines. According to Mohale, the ministry is seeking alternative supply sources through procurement and, where there are no suppliers registered in the country, through special imports under Section 21 of the Medicines Act.
Risks for psychiatric patients
The South African Society of Psychiatrists has been receiving reports of shortages of medicines for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder since June. The medicines in short supply include olanzapine and quetiapine. The society’s former president, Mvuyiso Talatala, noted that changing therapy could cause severe side effects or a relapse requiring hospitalization.
Mental health advocate Taswell Welkam said members of his support group in Cape Town had complained about difficulties obtaining medicines for long-term treatment. According to him, three of the group’s approximately 40 members recently experienced a relapse and were hospitalized.
