By Spy Uganda
The National Drug Authority (NDA) has started implementing a directive by the President, Yoweri Museveni, ordering all privately owned pharmacies in government facilities to be closed.
President Yoweri Museveni in 2019 ordered that all privately owned pharmacies in government health facilities be closed.
Museveni said that he had learnt that those pharmacies are owned by health workers, who, instead of prescribing the use of government medicine, prescribe the selling of their own drugs.
“I have directed the closure of all the privately-owned pharmacy shops in government health centers with immediate effect,” said Museveni.
NDA’s implementation comes few days after State House Health Monitoring Unit arrested Mulago National Referral Hospital officials, led by Executive Director Dr Byarugaba Baterana over misappropriation of up to Shs. 28,806,032,270, by Mr Barerana through different shoddy activities and schemes.
He was arrested on Monday this week by the State House Unit, which was established by President Museveni to investigate corruption in the Health Sector.
Baterana is also said to have supervised suspicious Procurement of Medicines and other Medical Supplies, paying a company named First Pharmacy up to Shs 1.4billion for medicines, which were never received by Kiruddu Hospital. (www.srmfre.com)
Baterana and other Mulago officials are also being accused of entering into ten years Memoranda of Understanding and Tenancy Agreements with private pharmacies, Ecopharm and First Pharmacy to operate within the Hospital premises.
“The said MOU and Tenancy Agreements between Mulago Hospital and the two private Pharmacies were poorly executed and without clearance from the relevant Government Authorities,” State House Unit Executive Director Dr Warren Namara said.
“The Pharmacies are operating illegally without National Drug Authority Licenses. Due to these poorly executed MOUs and Tenancy Agreements, both Eco Pharm Pharmacy and First Pharmacy had defaulted on paying rent to the tune of UGX 135,000,0001= for Eco Pharm Pharmacy and 67,500,000 for First Pharmacy respectively by November 2021.”
