Drug shortages persist as Parliament faults government for ignoring local solutions
The Parliamentary Health Committee has accused the government of failing to adequately consider proposals from local pharmaceutical companies aimed at addressing persistent shortages and theft of essential medicines in public hospitals.
Committee chairperson Anthony Masamba said Wednesday that the continued scarcity of medicines, coupled with theft, was undermining access to healthcare despite potential solutions proposed by locally owned pharmaceutical companies.
Masamba was speaking after the committee engaged Intermed Limited at Parliament Building in Lilongwe to discuss measures to improve medicine availability and strengthen security in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
“As a committee, we are worried, but it is not too late. We hope the Malawi Government will address the solutions these companies are providing, as we present our report to the National Assembly,” he said.
Masamba said the committee was impressed by Intermed Limited’s recommendations, although some proposals required further clarification.
He added that the committee had also engaged the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST) on ways to improve the supply of essential medicines, including involving local manufacturers in supplying drugs for distribution to district hospitals.
According to Masamba, foreign-exchange shortages have constrained the country’s ability to procure medicines from international suppliers, with proposed supplies requiring approximately US$18 million.
He said CMST had indicated that the first consignment of essential medicines was expected within the week or the following week, with further deliveries anticipated thereafter.
However, Masamba described the expected supplies as temporary relief, stressing the need for sustainable solutions to the recurring shortages.
The committee chairperson also questioned the introduction of a 25 percent surtax on essential medicines, warning that the measure could push up prices and make treatment less affordable, particularly for poor households in rural areas.
Intermed Limited general manager Muhammad Hassan Malidah said the company had been invited to explain its systems, controls and procedures for preventing medicine theft, the circulation of substandard drugs and the distribution of counterfeit or compromised pharmaceutical products.
Malidah said the company had previously advised the government on measures to address these challenges but felt its recommendations had not received adequate consideration.
He also cited foreign-exchange shortages and delayed payments to suppliers as contributing to the continuing scarcity of essential medicines.
The committee’s concerns follow an unannounced visit to Kamuzu Central Hospital, where members sought to verify reports of medicine shortages. Information provided by the committee indicated that the visit confirmed the need for urgent intervention.
The engagement has placed renewed focus on the government’s response to medicine shortages, with questions emerging over the implementation of proposed security measures, timely payments to suppliers and the involvement of local pharmaceutical manufacturers in strengthening Malawi’s medicine supply chain.
