Medicines Control Council sceptical of Health Minister’s denials on stock outs

25 May 2015

The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has blamed shortages of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) on “circumstances beyond our control”. The Medicines Control Council however, is sceptical about whether the Department submitted the contracts on time and if they have underestimated the amount of drugs needed, the DA’s consultations have found.

I will submit Parliamentary questions to ascertain whether the contracts for these medicines were submitted timeously and if the Department had in fact underestimated the amount of drugs required. 

The Minister stated that the shortages of ARVs reported in KwaZulu-Natal are limited to a shortage of Abacavir, used to treat children, and that the shortages do not extend to fixed-dose combination anti-retrovirals (FDC).

The DA is greatly concerned that a failure in supply chain management is being put on the companies making children's ARVs. The Minister has claimed that suppliers lack the active chemical compounds needed to make the drugs, shifting the responsibility on to the pharmaceutical companies. 

However, the Medicines Control Council rightly points out that if the Department has submitted contracts late or underestimated the demand for the drugs, this raises serious questions about the efficacy of the Department:

1. Why was the Health Department unaware of these shortages of Abacavir?; and

2. Who is looking after supply chain management?

It is more than likely that these shortages, which put the health of children at risk, is a direct result of the Departments’ failure to plan properly. The Medical Control Council is itself sceptical of the Ministers excuses and thinks that the shortages are due to a failure to plan.

Quality healthcare is crucial to the well-being and dignity of South Africans and should not be compromised by the Department’s unacceptable failure to consider the impact on public healthcare recipients. 

The DA will continue to work towards ensuring proper plans are put in place so the delivery of medicines is carried out effectively. 

Statement issued by Dr Wilmot James MP, DA Shadow Minister of Health, May 25 2015