Following a series of complaints and publications in the local press of drugs shortage in The Gambia, health officers and pharmacists at the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare, has assured the general public of the availability of enough drugs in the central stores at Kotu and all health facilities. In a bid to clarify this issue, the Daily Observer reporter yesterday went round to the Central Medical stores in Kotu, RVTH and Jammeh Foundation for Peace Hospital in Bundung to get the facts right.

Below is the full text of what health personnel have to say:

Dr Mariatou Tala Jallow Badjie, Chief Pharmacist at DoSH, said “We have enough drugs at the central medical stores and it is just last week that we cleared three (3) containers from Egypt, our main suppliers.  We do give supplementary supplies to hospitals like Sulayman Junkung General Hospital (SJGH) in Bwiam, different from the usual supply.

We received drugs from the government of The Gambia, through the National Pharmaceutical Services, GFATM, Egypt etc.  These drugs are kept in cool dry places. This is the first time that we have all the drugs together in one big store, unlike before when we use to rent stores.

I therefore advised all doctors and nurses to manage and utilise the drugs efficiently”.

Modou Jallow, Pharmacy Assistant at Sulayman Junkung General Hospital in Bwiam said: “I have come to collect the Opportunistic Infection drugs (OIs) for patients with infections.  These are supplementary drugs.  The hospital buys the drugs annually and when we need supplementary, we come and collect it”.

Elizabeth Daniel, Senior Dispensing Assistant, said: “I am in charge of the Central Medical Stores in Kotu.  Some of these drugs are more expensive than others and that is why they are kept in a very cool place.  We have different kinds of drugs here”.

Essa Marenah, Principal Pharmacist at RVTH, said: “Actually the drug situation is quite good in RVTH.  All we need to do is to make sure that doctors coming from other parts of the world to the RVTH should be given an orientation to follow our prescription pattern, as it is prepared by the Department of State for Health.  This will help in the effective and proper management of drugs”.

Kebba Ceesay, Pharmacy Assistant at Jammeh Foundation for Peace Hospital in Bundung, said: “We have enough drugs, especially anti-malarial and antibiotic drugs in our stores.  Two weeks ago, I collected supply from the central medical stores”.