By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The National Medical Supplies Agency (NMSA) has on the 25th June 2021 handed over nine trucks of free Health Care Drugs to stakeholders in Kenema at the Government Hospital in Kenema.
Presenting the consignment of drugs, the Logistics Manager, National Medical Supplies Agency, Thomas Aruna said the board and management of the agency made a commitment to the government that the free health care drugs will be supplied to the various districts every three months and that the presentation was a fulfillment of that commitment.
He said of the nine trucks of drugs one truck is meant for Panguma government hospital, three for the government hospital in Kenema while the five remaining trucks will support the Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) in the district.
Aruna said the board and management of the agency has thought it necessary to place their logo on some of the drugs in order to help in identifying them easily should someone convert them for sale at private clinics and pharmacies, warning that the free healthcare drugs are not to be sold but to be administered to the targeted beneficiaries free of charge.
“We are using our logo to help stop people stealing the drugs and sell to private pharmacies,’’ he said.
He stated that the free healthcare drugs are meant for pregnant women, disabled people, lactating mothers, Ebola survivors, and children under the age of five years. He said, they have decided to embark on civic education so that the public is aware of their logos on the free healthcare drugs so they can report to the appropriate authorities when found in any private business place.
He emphasized that their role as an agency is to ensure that the drugs reach the community but also noted that it is the responsibility of the community to ensure ownership and take full control in monitoring the process.
In the area of drugs being sold at a cost-recovery basis, he said the government has launched the cost recovery drug programme and that very soon it will be rolled out at district level. However, he said the cost recovery drugs are not part of the free health care drugs and that the cost recovery drugs will not be free for people, because it is meant for those that are not in the category of Free Health Care, but will be sold at affordable amounts.
He called on the stakeholders to be visiting the district medical stores to ensure that the drugs are correctly disbursed to the PHU’s and they reach the beneficiaries.
Speaking on behalf of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) in Kenema, the District Health Sister II, Janet Tenneh Sankoh said the arrival of the drugs is timely. She said the health staffare mostly blamed for not giving the drugs to patients even when there is a shortage at the health facilities.
She said they will continue to monitor the health workers on how to administer the free healthcare drugs to the people so that the target group will benefit from it.
She admonished the health workers not to play with the drugs as any staff caught selling them will be prosecuted.
She said the news of the cost recovery drugs is a welcome one for them and the people, as that will prevent people from buying fake drugs from peddlers which instead of curing them causes more health problems to them.
Councilor Benedict Abudlai Jusu of Kenema city council applauded the government for continuing to support the people with free healthcare.
He said the DHMT consults with the councils at all-time about the free healthcare drugs and assured that the council will continue to support and work with the health management team in Kenema.
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