NCRHA: No drug shortage at Arima Health Facility

The North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) has dismissed reports that there was a shortage of drugs at the Arima Health Facility.

A source at the NCRHA described the report was "pure mischief."

CEO Davlin Thomas said there was enough pharmaceuticals to support more than four to six months of operations at the facility.

Thomas said the authority had invested heavily to reduce waiting times for Arima patients with the expansion of the emergency area to 15 beds, the launch of the children's walk-in clinic where children were immediately triaged to see a paediatric consultant, and the launch of the Arima Wound Care Centre.

The NCRHA stressed that there was no shortage of basic drugs at the facility and it would continue to strive to deliver quality healthcare to all patients.

He said the NCRHA will expand screenings for non communicable diseases and deliver premium quality healthcare to all citizens.

He said the NCRHA has been successful at screening more than 13,000 people for non-communicable diseases as part of its Walk The Talk initiative. He said the authority provided back-to-school check ups to more than 1,200 children, screened more than 1,500 men for prostate cancer in its Men's Day initiative, provided pap smear examinations for nearly 1,800 women, and made more than 350 home visits to vulnerable patients as part of its In-Touch programme.

He said those were enviable achievements and, despite the distractions, the NCRHA will continue to ensure that our patients receive premium care at all our facilities.

He said a comprehensive investigation was held with the pharmacist II of the facility and found that it was currently well stocked with all essential and life-saving medications.

A thorough investigation of consumption patterns were reviewed and it showed that the facility had maintained a full supply of all medications under its purview ranging from chronic/lifestyle to emergency medications, psychiatric, and others.

Daily statistics also showed that all patients were dispensed with all their medications on all instances, and the chances of nil items were seldom and represented pharmaceuticals that were not part of the government's formulary.

"Our monthly consumption report for the Arima Health Facility submitted on September 5, 2019, also showed that all medications ranging from primary care to emergency were available and there were no complaints of shortages from patients."

He said at this time the only medication that was out of stock was Aprovel (Irbesartan 150mg and 300mg) used for the management of hypertension. However, the pharmacy has two alternatives in stock, Candesartan and Losaratan.