Medical stores of the National Health Service in Maputo province.
Maputo, 9 Jan (AIM) – The Mozambican health authorities on Friday denounced the theft of anti-malarial drugs worth 42 million meticais (about 657,000 US dollars, at the current exchange rate) from the central medical stores of the National Health Service in Maputo province.
According to the General Director of the Central Medical Stores, Noemia Escrivao, almost a million units of the drugs were stolen, and only 5,100 (0.6 per cent) have been recovered. The vast majority of the drugs are thus still in illegal circulation.
“The theft was detected in December”, said Escrivao at a Maputo press conference. “After analysing the video surveillance cameras, we concluded that the theft was made gradually”.
The images showed that some of the drugs were taken on 13 November and some on 19 November.
Investigations, led by the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) and involving the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, led to the detention of six people. One was a warehouse worker, two were security staff, and the rest were buyers.
Some of the drugs were recovered in the central city of Chimoio: the thieves were taking them to buyers in Malawi.
“We are talking about medicines that are marked ‘for the exclusive use of the Ministry of Health’. Anyone who finds these goods outside of a health unit has the right and duty to denounce them to the authorities”, said Escrivao.
She warned that the theft will have a direct impact on public health, causing a shortage of the drugs needed to treat malaria. This is of particular concern because the country has now entered the rainy season, which is the peak time for bites from the mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite.
Escrivao added that, although the existing stocks are sufficient to meet the immediate demand for anti-malarial drugs, the theft will seriously weaken the drive against malaria.
“The theft of anti-malarial drugs damages the National Health System and dilutes all the efforts made by the government”, said Escrivao.
(AIM)
Pf/ (342)
