NDA closes 167 drug outlets in Luweero, impounds drugs worth Shs81m
An official from the National Drug Authority takes records of drugs impounded at one of the unlicensed drug shops in Busiika Town Council, Luweero District. PHOTO | DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- In Nakasongola District where a bigger percentage of the population prefer accessing health care at the nearest drug outlets because of the long distances that one has to trek to the nearest government health unit, the leaders want NDA to conduct routine sensitisation targeting both residents and the drug shop owners about the dangers of accessing services from the non-compliant outlets.
The campaign by the National Drug Authority (NDA) to clamp down on all unauthorized drug outlets through regular inspection for annual licenses has taken a new dimension with leaders from the greater Luweero districts rallying for a prioritised mass sensitisation.
In Nakasongola District where a bigger percentage of the population prefer accessing health care at the nearest drug outlets because of the long distances that one has to trek to the nearest government health unit, the leaders want NDA to conduct routine sensitisation targeting both residents and the drug shop owners about the dangers of accessing services from the non-compliant outlets.
Mr Sam Kigula, the Nakasongola LC5 chairperson said that while the regular inspection conducted by the NDA staff boosts the campaign to ensure that only licensed drug shops offer services, the need to sensitise and empower residents on how to detect the expired drugs, and outlets that are unfit to offer the health services, should be prioritised.
“We commend the clampdown on non-compliant drug outlets basing on the likely health risks they can cause, but we demand that government prioritises the sensitisation of the masses on how to detect the expired drugs through an empowerment component,” he said.
In Luweero District where the NDA enforcement staff closed more than 70 drug shops for noncompliance with the set health standards, the LC5 Chairperson Mr Erasto Kibirango wants the government to equip the government health facilities with drugs and ensure that the licensing guidelines for drug shop operators are decentralised.
During a recent two weeks inspection campaign conducted by the NDA enforcement team, drugs worth Shs81 million were impounded from drug shops and pharmacies in the districts of Luweero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola.
Mr Samuel Kyomukama, the Head Enforcement at NDA said the exercise covered 503 drug outlets dealing in human and veterinary drugs; the team closed a total of 167 outlets for noncompliance.
“The NDA enforcement team visited 281 licensed outlets while 55 had their respective licenses in process. We closed 167 drug outlets for noncompliance. Some outlets did not have qualified staff and several had staff with falsified academic documents,” he said.
Several of the pharmacies and drug shop operators had a case of unlawful possession of classified drugs opened after failing to present documents in support of their respective drug businesses.
Mr Fredrick Ssekyana, the NDA Public Relations Manager clarified that the enforcement team is mandated among other guidelines to advise the drug shop operators on the missing requirements.
Dealing in the pharmacy business without a license and employing unqualified staff contravenes Section 14 (3) of the National Drug Policy and Authority Act and fetches a charge of possession of classified drugs contrary to section 72 (2) of the National Drug Policy and Authority Act (Cap 206).
