Sort out cancer drug stockout to save lives

Patients sit stranded at the cancer institute in Mulago on November 14. The health facility has been hit by drug stock-out after a consignment of anti-cancer drugs was held at Entebbe International Airport pending clearance from the drug regulatory body. PHOTO BY LEVIN ATUHAIRE

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Cancer drugs
  • Our view: Mr Ssekana’s attempt to justify the delays in releasing the drugs smack of insensitivity on the part of those in NDA. NDA must be called to order.

On Tuesday, it emerged that the Ugandan Cancer Institute (UCI), is going through a drug stockout of crisis proportions. Apparently, a consignment of cancer drugs is being held at Entebbe International Airport pending clearance by the National Drug Authority (NDA).

Reports of drug stockouts at UCI are not new. Previously, they had been blamed on the National Medical Stores (NMS), which had been the supplier of drugs to the institute. The passing of the Cancer Institute Act in 2017, which gave UCI autonomy, had been expected to free it of some of the causes of the inefficiency that it had previously been accused of, but that has not happened.

The law seems to have only freed it of the fangs of the NMS only to place it under the yoke of the NDA! The country might need to revisit the law.

This particular situation is, however, most unfortunate. The figures are not in, so we just might not be able to tell how many cancer patients whose lives would have been prolonged, have been sent to their graves.

We equally do not know how many are suffering the excruciating pain that comes with cancer. We might never tell the extent of the financial burden that the cancer patients and families are bearing on account of the stockouts.
Matters are not helped by the explanations coming out of UCI and NDA. They are at best pitiably laughable.

Dr Jackson Orem, the executive director of UCI, told this newspaper on Tuesday that NDA wanted to ascertain whether taxes had been paid by the supplier and that the drugs would be going directly to UCI! How long does it take for NDA to crosscheck with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) whether taxes had been paid?

The spokesperson of NDA, Mr Frederick Ssekyana, argued that it was important that the public appreciates that all imported drugs are subjected to the verification of drug imports procedures, where an original preforma invoice for the consignment of drugs to be imported is presented to NDA for assessment.

Mr Ssekyana further said NDA is “taking time” to scrutinise and ensure that the imported drugs are of good quality and safe for human consumption. That is understandable, but the verification and testing processes are not rocket science or astronomy! Why then should they take so long?

Mr Ssekana’s attempt to justify the delays in releasing the drugs smack of insensitivity on the part of those in NDA. NDA must be called to order.

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