90% of rural drug shops in eastern illegal - officials

Jinja

At least 90 per cent of drug shops in the rural areas of eastern Uganda are operating illegally, health officials have said. During an annual regional general meeting in Jinja recently, district drug inspectors (DDIs) and district health inspectors said some of the drug shops are unlicenced while others with permits are abusing them and others are being operated by incompetent personnel.

The Kaliro District Health Officer, Ms Sarah Kasewa, said: “While we still have unlicenced outlets, the biggest challenge is the running of pharmacies-Even those that are duly registered- employ under qualified pharmacists. The owners are very profit oriented and are using incompetent labour because it is cheaper.”

The Bugiri DDI, Mr Jackson Mangeni, said: “It is against the Ministry of Health policy to train nursing assistant yet these unregulated nursing schools are getting Shs700,000 from naive parents for a six-month nursing course for their children. And the people giving us problems in villages are none other than those being produced in these institutions.” Of all the 967 drug shop licence applications submitted for review this year, only 886 mostly located in urban settings were genuine.

According to the National Drug Authority Regional Inspector of Drugs, Mr Zaidi Mwondha, 81 of those submitted were queried and rejected for either submission of falsified qualifications, unsuitable premises or unqualified workers. Mr Zaidi said bonafide pharmacists are not willing to operate upcountry due to what they consider low profits.

No pharmacists
“There are no registered chemists in Kaliro, Mayuge, Bugiri and Namutumba districts yet drugs are still being sold in these areas,” Mr Zaidi said. The Kaliro DDI, Mr Bruno Okiror said: “It is difficult to keep a tab on the facilities because most camouflage as agro-chemists or clinics yet they are all dispensing human medicine.” Most of the facilities in the region were reported to be accommodated in unfit premises mostly one room instead of the recommended three.