MPs query NMS over Covid vaccines cash

Legislators on the health committee of Parliament on Tuesday questioned National Medical Stores (NMS) officials over the procurement Covid-19 vaccines and other medical supplies in the country. 

The NMS team, which was in Parliament presenting a budget framework paper for the Financial Year 2022/2023, was asked to give accountability on issues inter-related with medicines and funds including money spent on purchasing Covid-19 doses of vaccines. 
Dr Charles Ayume, the Koboko Municipality MP and chairperson of the health committee, said one of the intentions of the meeting was to help filter complaints from health facilities that medicines are not being delivered. 
Respective committee members asked NMS whether it received Shs80 billion during this financial year to secure Covid-19 vaccines. 

NMS was said to be giving contradicting answers after the legislators mentioned that the Covid-19 response taskforce had previously interacted with the team and they were asked about the money to which they responded that it had not yet been given to them and was with the Ministry of Health. 
“I can confirm that Parliament appropriated the money (Shs80 billion) which the Ministry of Finance dully made available for us. It was released in the first quarter and the money was sent for vaccines,” Mr Paul Okware, the chief stores and operations officer at NMS, said while speaking to journalists on the sidelines.

Vaccines
Mr Okware said during the last six months NMS received more than Shs60 billion worth of vaccines. 
 “The information we are getting from Finance is that they will be availing upto $137 million that the government is negotiating for support for continued vaccination and so, maybe we shall not be having this appropriation from Parliament,” he said.

The issue of drug theft at various health centres was also raised by some of the legislators. 
“I can tell you that when I was in charge of a health-centre IV, there was a big outcry from the community (on drug thefts) until we had to ask our staff if we knew thieves among ourselves. It was not until I picked papers and gave each staff member the names of people who steal medicines during a secret ballot that we finally got the thieves,” Mr Elisa Rutahigwa, the MP for Rukungiri municipality, said. 

Ms Hope Grania Nakazibwe, the Mubende District Woman MP, said laboratory supplies to all health facilities are always non-functional because of reagents. 
Mr Apollo Newton Mwesigye, the secretary to the board at NMS, said they had been trying to do as much as possible to resolve the issues on ground.
Mr Mwesigye added that they are continuously working with other agencies including police which arrest people who have unlawfully possessed medicines.