Gov’t working to address drug shortages
GINA, Guyana, Friday, March 10, 2017
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said that the government is working to address drug shortages countrywide, and more specifically, at the New Amsterdam Hospital, Region Six.
During a post-Cabinet press briefing today, at the Ministry of the Presidency, Minister Harmon explained that the drug shortage at New Amsterdam is very specific, noting that, “you may have shortages of a particular type of drug, but not a general shortage.”
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon.
Minister Harmon noted that the issue was discovered earlier this month, when the Social Services Parliamentary Sectoral Committee visited the New Amsterdam Hospital to examine the functions and management of the healthcare facility.
Additionally, Minister Harmon also noted that there was a complaint made by some of the Region Six regional officials that persons from neighbouring Suriname are entering Guyana and utilising the medical facilities in Berbice. He said that the steps will be taken to address this concern.
“…the bulk of our medical supplies are free and so you have a lot of traffic from Suriname coming to New Amsterdam and Berbice and utilising our system. What they undertook to do is to have a clear record of this so that steps can be taken in that regard…I must say that the shortage of drugs at hospitals across the country is a matter which is being addressed by the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence,” Minister Harmon said.
Meanwhile, Minister Harmon said that Minister Lawrence will make an official statement on the issue of the emergency purchase of $605M worth of drug supplies from Ansa McAl.
By: Synieka Thorne