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KAMPALA – Parliament of Uganda has issued a directive to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, requiring them to hire a Pharmacist within the next six months.
This decision was prompted by the discovery that the hospital had been operating without a qualified Pharmacist, and the current staff managing the hospital pharmacy lacked the essential knowledge for proper pharmacy operations.
The Parliament recently conducted a debate regarding an audit report on the allocation and utilization of funds for referral hospitals in Uganda. Consequently, they decided to address specific concerns related to each hospital.
Medard Lebega Sseggona, the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee and Busiro East County MP, disclosed that the audit revealed that the individuals currently in charge of the hospital’s private pharmacy lacked the necessary technical expertise for efficient operations.
He also highlighted the absence of evidence indicating that these employees received any training to equip them with basic pharmacy knowledge.
Sseggona emphasized that the absence of qualified personnel for dispensing medications posed a significant risk to patients’ health due to poor management and a lack of proper guidance.
He also raised concerns about compromised record management.Furthermore, Jinja Hospital’s management faced criticism for mishandling expired medicines.
An inspection of the storage area revealed that various expired drugs had not been removed from the shelves in accordance with standard operating procedures.
Sseggona emphasized that the failure to segregate expired medicines presented a potential threat to patients’ lives, as unscrupulous individuals could reintroduce these expired medications into the market.
He stressed the importance of immediate action to remove expired medicines from the shelves to safeguard patients.
In addition to these directives, Members of Parliament urged Jinja Hospital to prominently display a transparent fee structure to guide patient charges.
They expressed concerns that the absence of an approved fee structure could lead to clandestine, exploitative “under the table” payments by patients.
The Parliament also advocated for the adoption of this practice across all health facilities in Uganda.
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