–will govern medical donations

THE Public Health Ministry is currently formulating a policy that will guide its action when receiving donations of drugs and medical supplies.
This is according to Public Health Minister, Ms Volda Lawrence, who on Monday conceded that there is “no prescribed standard” for the acceptance of donations to the Ministry.
“I can assure you that right now, we are working on it. We have a draft; we have sent it around so that persons can give their comments,” she told reporters at the conclusion of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting at the Public Buildings.

She readily agreed that donations must be done in a systematic way, and that critical information must be provided before donations are made.
“We want to see these institutions writing to the Ministry; we want to have some background on these institutions and these groups,” Minister Lawrence said.
When finalised, the policy on which they’re working, she said, will allow for the Public Health Ministry to make an input before any donations are made.
“We must be able to say whether what they are offering is needed here,” she said, adding:
“And on the other hand, we must be able to say that what we would like them to give to us, and where we would like them to go, and not persons coming here and telling us where they are going and what they are doing.”

The issue of the donation of drugs and medical supplies arose Monday during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), where Region Nine’s Regional Health Officer (RHO), Mr Rolan Choyee was responding to queries from Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Ms Valerie Adams-Patterson.
Minister Adams-Patterson, who is a PAC member, had questioned the RHO on the process of acquiring drugs and medical supplies as a form of donation.

In response, the RHO explained that the items would be logged into a “log book”, after which the pharmacist would take them into stock for distribution.
He also noted that as far as he knew, no approval is required from the Public Health Ministry before donations are accepted by the Regional Administration or Regional Hospital.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN
On hearing this, PAC Chairman, Mr Irfaan Ali registered his disapproval, saying it was a matter of grave concern to him. Similar sentiments were expressed by Minister Adams-Patterson, who posited that many times, the drugs being donated are often close to their expiry dates.

Her greatest fears were confirmed by the RHO, who, when asked to explain why “expired drugs with an approximate value of $465,000” were found at the Lethem Regional Hospital and the Kumu Health Centre in the past, replied:
“Most of the drugs that are expired are donated drugs coming from Food for the Poor and other agencies.”
He, however, went on to explain that expired drugs, once logged, are sent to Lethem where they are prepared for disposal.