NRH Pharmacy faces shortage in drugs for terminal illnesses

THERE is a shortage in supply of medical drugs for long-term illnesses at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) Pharmacy, it is revealed.

The medical drugs are purposely for sick patients who have terminal or long term sicknesses such as cancer, kidney problems and Tuberculosis (TB), to name a few.

According to a reliable source within the NRH Pharmacy, sick patients who depend on these drugs for their medical treatment are currently advised to buy their medical drugs at other Pharmacy outlets within the city.

“It usually takes six months for the long term medical drugs to arrive here at the country’s PORTS from overseas and another few more weeks for them to be released there before we have access to them. The reason for the delay at PORTS also is because their release costs are very expensive,” said the source.

“Only light-weight medicines such as Paracetamol are usually flown on planes into the country according to the certain amount of weight allowed on a plane.

“But as the country is now facing a high population of sick patients depending on long term medical drugs for their survival, such situation poses a threat to lives,” the source said.

The source made this revealing information when Island Sun was enquiring at the NRH Pharmacy recently on a rumour stating that they were facing a situation of Panadol shortage and all sick patients were advised by them to pay for Panadols at shops or other Pharmacy retail outlets.

The rumour in fact was false.

“It is not Panadol that the Pharmacy is facing a shortage with but long term medical drugs,” the source corrected.

“The process between the Ministry of Health and the government in making the order for medical drugs overseas too may be another contributing factor as well in slowness for the availability of the medicines but currently, this is the situation of long term medical drugs at the NRH Pharmacy,” the source elaborated.