By Spy Uganda
Kampala: As we report this, the National Medical Stores (NMS) Chief Pharmacist Dr. Atanasius Kakwemeire is crying foul over what he alleges to be unfair dismissal from the office he has served in for the last three years mercilessly fighting corruption to the highest peak of the organization.
READ ALSO: Fraud Detected! NMS On Spot Over Inflated Prices Of Health Supplies, Mismanagement Of Gov’t Funds
According to the letter seen by this website addressed to the Anti-Corruption Unit of State House, Kakwemeire says ever since he stepped in the office he has been detecting massive procurement of sub-standard, short life and expired drugs something that is very risky to Ugandans lives more so in this COVID-19 deadly period.
“I have been detecting these unfortunate practices by management of NMS as a chief pharmacist since 2017,” Kakwemeire says in the letter.
As a result therefore, Kakwemeire says after the NMS bosses seeing that he was an obstacle to their dubious deals, they opted to terminate his contract as a means of eliminating him.
READ ALSO: Ministry of Health, National Medical Stores Official In Trouble Over Missing Shs9Bn
“Due to corrupt tendencies, I’m being victimized by terminating my contract and services in order for them to perpetuate their schemes. Please, note that, I have been directed by management to handover office, yet that is where evidence to the above facts is. I therefore request Anti-Corruption Unit to secure my office for purposes of securing evidence as investigation commences,” Kakwemeire cries out.
Meanwhile, Sheila Nduhukire, the NMS spokesperson has trashed Kakwemeire’s allegations saying NMS Board terminated his contract for incompetence at work following a formal disciplinary action.
Insight Into NMS Operations
These come after Parliament in May 2021 heard a report from the Public Accounts Committee- PAC accusing NMS of theft, overpricing and supplying expiring drugs to health centres that don’t need them which opted the committee to approved a report carrying a recommendation that the monopoly of National Medical Stores be stopped as a result.
This was contained in the committee’s report on the report of the Auditor-General on the Health Sector for the year ended 30 June 2018. The Chairperson of the committee, Hon Nathan Nandala-Mafabi said, “Prices charged by NMS are beyond the market price. Even in the President’s letter dated 16 May 2020, NMS is an anti-Ugandan operation.”
Also, Nandala-Mafabi said that the committee discovered that the Ministry of Health contracted NMS to procure uniforms for health workers which was not done.
“All the funds deposited by MoH were diverted as follows; the deposit for 2016/2017 was shs4 billion but no uniform was delivered. This cash was all withdrawn by NMS as soon as the money hit the account,” said Nandala-Mafabi.
Furious PAC also reported NMS to President Museveni, calling for an investigation into the operations of the institution over alleged corruption, claiming that NMS was deliberately purchasing medicines with a very short life span before expiry deliberately to occasion loss to the Government.
