KZN health officials are managing global medicine supply pressures by sourcing alternatives and sharing stock to ensure continued patient care.
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The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health is actively managing medication supply challenges resulting from global supply-chain pressures. Despite these logistical pressures, the department has emphasised that patient care remains the priority.
In July, the KZN department reported that it had supply issues with epilepsy medication (Phenobarbital), tuberculosis (Rifampicin), and contraceptive pills. In the same month, the Gauteng Department of Health squashed claims that Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital patients were being denied essential medicines due to shortages.
The department acknowledged that challenges exist within the public healthcare system; these are continuously managed through established clinical and supply chain processes to ensure continuity of patient care.
In a parliamentary response in June, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said that antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin, Flucytosine, Fosfomycin and Mebendazole), tuberculosis (Rifampicin-containing products), oncology products (Bleomycin, Carboplatin, Docetaxel, and Filgrastim), insulin, and selected paediatric antiretroviral medicines (Nevirapine and Lamivudine) are frequently affected by stock disruptions.
KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said they recently mentioned that ongoing conflict in the Middle East affects how they receive certain pharmaceuticals and essential ingredients.
She said that while some hospitals may appear to be experiencing medication shortages, the Department of Health mandates that clinicians provide suitable therapeutic alternatives, ensuring that every patient receives the necessary treatment.
“It is true that the one we are usually looking for, the way we get it is no longer there, or it’s no longer the same as before. It’s an issue that even at the national level, they have stood up for, because after all, all this medicine, we buy it from national (department) or we get it from national,” Simelane said.
KZN Health head of department Penny Msimango added that the issue is being discussed extensively. They have weekly meetings to identify problems and critical shortages.
“We would like to clarify that this issue relates to the fact that there are problems globally that cause some of what we need, like medicine, not to reach us. We have discussed it extensively, but we have said we will send out teams to go visit the districts and hospitals, to check which hospital is short the most, so that they can share with other hospitals and other districts,” Msimango said.
She added that patients without medical aid cannot afford to purchase medication, so staff must not direct them to do so.
If medication is unavailable, staff are instructed to report the issue to hospital management to explore internal alternatives rather than issuing a prescription for the patient to fulfil independently.
Provincial Pharmaceutical Supply Depot manager Thandeka Njapha explained that supply pressures are currently impacting life-saving medications, particularly in pill form, such as those for chronic and mental health conditions.
She clarified that these shortages do not mean the medication is unavailable; rather, clinicians are using therapeutic alternatives, medications that perform the same function as the originally prescribed treatment, to ensure patients receive consistent care.
“As there are problems with medicine, we don’t just sit; we try to buy. You find that supplier A doesn’t have it; we will go to B, C, until we go to D. We move it around, we share it,” Njapha explained.
She said that if medication is unavailable due to delivery delays, staff collect patient contact details rather than turning patients away. They then source the medication from other facilities or alternative suppliers, some arranging for delivery to ensure patients receive their prescriptions without having to personally locate them.
Njapha encouraged people not to panic. Reiterating that the national department has also stepped in; they check with other provinces and borrow from each other; they meet regularly and check facilities so they can intervene quickly.
“As a province, we are trying to find other suppliers who can supply us with medicine. National is also doing the same, helping all provinces, big and small, so that if there is a supplier who says they have a problem with a certain pill, we try to find another one,” Njapha said.
