Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Vice-Chairperson Sarah Browne says there is a “severe” drug shortage across Region One.
Browne made the disclosure in the light of a report in yesterday’s edition of the Stabroek News, where a commissioner of the Women and Gender Equality Commission Haliema Khan said there was a delay in drugs reaching the region one community of Baramita due to a bottleneck at the level of the Regional Health Officer. Khan had also pointed out that the system is resulting in poor health services being provided even though the area has a doctor, a medex and a community health worker.
“There is an article claiming that Baramita has a drug shortage with regard to the RHO. However, he [RHO] is not being able to have the drugs on his end. We are experiencing a severe drug shortage across the region,” Browne said.
She explained that the region had budgeted approximately $80 million for drugs and medical supplies. “How the process works is that the region warranted over $70 million of the $80 million to the Ministry of Public Health for them to procure the drugs on our behalf,” she said, while adding that even though it had done so, the “drugs have not been coming. So we have things like Panadol, other painkillers… Things like dentistry equipment, cotton wools and gloves that are in shortage.”
She emphasised that the issue is not with Baramita but with the region as a whole. She pointed out that the region has been asking the ministry for the financial statements to assess how much has been spent. “As of last month, we estimated approximately 25 to 30% we would’ve received from the money worth in drugs, so it’s a big concern to us,” Browne highlighted.
Khan had explained the drugs and other medical supplies are sent to the community very late and called for them to be flown directly to Baramita to avoid any shortages. According to her, regular flights goes into Baramita on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the authorities should use them for the deliveries.
However, Browne explained that all of the drugs that are sent to Baramita are flown in as it is too costly to transport them by road.
Space at school
Meanwhile, Khan has also told the media that the school in Baramita, which houses the nursery and primary departments, is in a deplorable condition. She said too that “there are over 600 children who are not attending school because there is no building or furniture to accommodate them.”
In response, Brown pointed out that the proposed budget for 2017 focuses mainly on health and education in Baramita. “Our number one priority is the expansion of the health centre, complete with doctors’ quarters, mortuary and sanitary facilities, and the expansion of the Baramita Primary School,” she said.
“The article says there are over 600 children not attending school because of the building and furniture. However, as recent as of two weeks ago I would’ve personally been at Baramita to look at the issues of children not going to school and we made a check of the amount of children and the space of the school and the engineers says we do have space,” she said, while adding that the teachers were also advised that if children should turn up without their birth certificates, then they should be accepted and they should also cater for them to get a hot meal from the school feeding programme.
Browne pointed out that they have been placing a lot of interest on the community but since there is a language barrier it is sometimes difficult. “Seventy per cent of the people speak Carib and so we have probably just the coastlanders who speak English,” she said.
