The Vice Minister of Health Maria do Ceu Pina da Costa says the four containers of medicine delivered to the SAMES warehouse are waiting to be distributed to health facilities around the country. 
Based on an agreement with the Ministry of Health and Kimia Farma last month, they’ve handed over 50% of the priority medicines ordered to treat the community as some health facilities have empty medicine stocks.
Vice Minister Ceu acknowledged that some medicine stocks were empty in health facilities but it didn’t mean there was nothing at all, so they gave priority to those with stock outs so they could quickly treat patients.
“We have a list that’s not really fixed, but we ask for about 100 items of medicine and first they sent about 50 items of medicine and consumables,” she said.
She said the medicine stock they received would hopefully last until December, and if they needed more medicine Kimia Farma could send more in May 2014.
Meanwhile, National Hospital Guido Valadares Director Isodoro da Silva said in the hospital they currently lack some tablets and five or six items like injections and some antibiotics.
“But currently four containers of medicine have arrived at SAMES, based on the information you’ve given, and I think the medicine stock will be sufficient,” said he said.
