Lack of essential drugs hit Akisim Sub County in Palisa District

By Lawrence Okwakol

Pallisa; Patients  from the four parishes of Opadoi,Okisiran, Omalutan and Akisim in Akisim sub county, Pallisa district  are in total dilemma and suffering due to lack of medicine at the Akisim health centre III  which is within their reach.

The sick now suffer moving long distances seeking for medications far from their respective areas.

 According to Elijah Kooli the clinician and in charge of Akisim health centre III said those from Akisim and Okisiran parishes go to Kameke health centre III, while those from Opadoi parish prefer going to Kaboloi and Agule health centre III while  others from Omalutan walk to Kibale health centre III  long distances of close to 13km .

Elijah Kooli said that  though  there is a drug shortage which is a  cross cutting issue in most health units, the major problem they have in Akisim  is  failure  to stock out of essential drugs such as coartem, paracetamol, septrin, oral salts, IV giving sets, testing kits for malaria,UTI, typhoid among others.

He also attributed the problem to the facility being new without an accorded Health number from NMS since it became operational in July 2022.

He revealed that their health centre relies mainly on allocations from Kamele health centre III.

“This makes people trek to  the health facilities surrounding Akisim sub county which are  nearly 9 km apart .

Loyce Adite, a resident of Akisim trading center said when drugs are in the health unit health workers handle patients till late and currently only the antenatal department is active.

He said according to the records available nearly 9,000 out of the total population of 18,000 in Akisim sub county as per Uganda bureau of statistics, and  half of them mostly children below the ages of 10years and old expectant mothers need medical care which Akisim health centre III does’t have.

” When drugs are in stock we handle over 150 patients daily  and that is if  are not aware that drugs were brought but when they learn that the drugs are available they are  finished in the shortest time possible.

Charles Okolimong the assistant district health officer of Pallisa said they submitted all the necessary information required for coding of the new health units of newly created sub counties to the ministry of health not response over drug distribution accorded records .

Okolimong mentioned one of the major causes of drug stock out is that most people ignore to use preventive measures such as sleeping under mosquito nets which the government gave freely making malaria the leading illness in Pallisa, drain drugs and sometimes the national medical stores delay to deliver consignments.

He however, revealed that they encourage patients to go to the government health facility for better handling rather than self-medication.

Majid Dhikusoka the Pallisa resident district commissioner challenged the health department headed by Dr. Godfrey Mulekwa to make follow-up of un-accorded health centres and ensure that the right quantity of drugs requested are the he ones they acknowledge not less because would lead to another form of corruption.