Lives of people of many parts of Uganda, especially poor women and children are at risk as public hospitals in the district have run out of malaria drugs according to a recent report from the ministry of Health.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite and kills at least 320 people in Uganda every day. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite.
TheUgandan understands that government-run hospitals in Lira, Apac, Gulu, Yumbe, Adjumani, Nwoya and Amuru, had run out of malaria drugs while because drug stocks have run worryingly low for the last three weeks to a month in Masaka, Bukomansimbi, Namayingo, Wakiso, Tororo, Kyenjojo Kamwenge, Kamuli, Iganga, Jinga and Hoima.
The government buys coartem [anti-malarial], the first line treatment for malaria so expensively from the Luzira-based Cipla Quality Chemicals Uganda Limited.
Denis Kibira, the executive director for HEPS-Uganda, a health rights organization for the poor, says malaria is fast spreading in those districts as government looks on.
Dan Kimoso, the NMS public relations officer, says since December last year, they had a shortage of anti-malarial drugs since they had a budget gap of Shs 40bn yet the government had a budget of only Shs 5bn.
Dr. Jimmy Opigo, the programme manager of the National Malarial Control programme at the Ministry of Health noted that “the drug stock out is life threatening at a time when there is high malaria transmission more than any other time in the past years during the same period.”
