How health workers steal, re-sell govt. facilities’ drugs, consumables in Kano – Official

Kano State Government says it has put measures in place to stop the diversion of drugs and medical consumables in state-owned medical facilities across its 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Gali Sule, the Director-General, Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumable Supply Agency, said this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano, the state capital, on Wednesday.

Mr Sule said the action was to alert the public on the development.

He said the agency had serious challenges with some of its facilities where health workers divert commodities, particularly drugs and consumables.

He warned perpetrators, whom he described as “unpatriotic,” to desist from such practices or be ready to face the consequences.

According to him, the unpatriotic workers get the commodities at cheaper prices, but instead of allowing patients to buy at affordable rates, they direct them to premises outside for their gains.

“The affordability we aim to achieve with the patients is being sabotaged by some unpatriotic workers in some of our facilities.

“We have a strong monitoring mechanism and once you are caught, you will face the wrath of the law in accordance with the civil service law of the state.

“We have strengthened issues of transparency and accountability under our drug revolving funds policy, where whoever is in charge of medical stores, warehouses or pharmacies must account for whatever transactions he conducts every quarter.

“Where there is a gap, whoever is in charge, be he a storekeeper or pharmacist, must be held responsible for the gap and other necessary sanctions to be taken.

“I can confidently inform you that we have improved our supply and availability of drugs in our hospitals.

“The agency embarked on sourcing for qualitative and affordable drugs among other medical consumables which are supplied and distributed across the state hospitals, thus bringing to an end the threat of fake and substandard drugs in our public hospitals,” he said.

Mr Sule said 855 facilities in primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare access products from the agency.

He added that the agency had trained and capitalised 56 additional facilities, making it 911 that access the agency’s drugs and consumables.

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“The agency will soon commission its own pharma-grade warehouse to store various types of drugs in cold and moderate temperatures.

“Standard for storage of drugs have been put in place to maintain its quality throughout and also storage pillows have been provided at the warehouse.

“One of the advantages the state will derive from this warehouse is that some commodities coming from the national to the state need to go through Sokoto pharma-grade warehouse, from either Abuja or Lagos.

“Our facilities don’t get supply because we don’t have a pharma-grade warehouse in Kano and it’s such a lengthy protocol.

“When we now have our own, the process will be shortened, hence reducing the cost of transportation and security risks related to travelling from Kano through Zamfara and Sokoto states. (NAN)