Lack of forex affect availability of medical drugs in public hospitals

Lack of medical drugs has hit public hospitals in the country due to what authorities say unavailability of forex.

But deputy minister of Health Enoch Phale said the situation is now improving.

He said that the shortage of foreign currency in the country affected the procurement of essential medical drugs to the central medical stores.

Officials from district hospitals and health centers have been complaining of shortage of essential medical drugs in their facilities.

Phale said the drugs are now available and hospitals should start making order from the stores.

He said there is an improvement on the availability of drugs in the country’s as the figures have been pushed from 37 percent to 55 to 57 percent.

Meanwhile, Josiah Mayani, Board Chairperson of Central Medical stores, conceded that there were issues that affected the delivery of its products to health facilities because the trust was unable to procure drugs from outside the country.