Drug shortage hits Torit State Hospital

JUBA-Torit State Hospital in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria is grappling with a shortage of essential drugs for four months.

Francis Iwa Andruga, Administrator of Torit State Hospital told Sudans Post in an interview on Monday, said the shortage was due to delay of drug supplies.

“When UNDP as an implementing partner came in July. Around August, we received a little quantity of medicine from them. That was not enough,” Andruga said.

“It has become a referral hospital for the state here. So the consumption rate is very high, and the quantity received will not even take us for a month.”

Andruga said the severe shortage of medicines, exacerbated by months of limited access, has forced patients to buy medication from private clinics.

“When you go around and ask the patients, most of our patients go and buy drugs from outside. The good thing is, we still maintain good diagnosis, because the laboratory is functional. So we diagnose them, and then prescribe them ready medicines they go and buy from outside clinics.”

He said the Hospital is also struggling to respond to health emergencies following the breakdown of its ambulance.

“We are having issues with the referral system. Now our ambulance is down. They were unable to be repaired. This is another challenge, because we cannot now respond to emergencies, whenever we are called,” he said.

He said the state-owned hospital lacks modern microscopes.

“Other challenges are, we have many, many challenges. Equipment, supplies of medicines, and all these things are not in place,” he said.

He appealed to the government and partners to assist the hospital to deliver life-saving services to the patients.

“The message I would like to give out is, particularly our government, that we need their help,” he said.

“So through them, let them talk to the implementing partners to really exert their effort to support this hospital. The manpower is ready now to do the work, but without motivation, I’m sure they will also get tired.”