Poor transportation infrastructure is holding back the distribution of medicines to health centres by the Autonomous Service of Medicines and Health Equipment (SAMES).
The service has only four vehicles.
SAMES storeroom director Domingos Afonso said the medicine is normally distributed to health centres every three months after the facilities submit equipment requests.
Medicines are delivered to the National Hospital of Guido Valadares once a month.
“We have four vehicles and when we receive requests from the health centres we prepare deliveries,” Afonso said.
Two vehicles deliver supplies to district health centres.
A limited fuel supply is exacerbating the delivery problems.
Member of Parliament Eladio Faculto lamented the lack of an efficient distribution strategy.
“There are only two vehicles taking medicines to the districts,” he said.
“If all the health facilities need medicines at the same time, it is difficult because the health centres don’t have medicine.”
Deputy minister for health human resource management issues Maria do Ceu Sarmento Pina da Costa said she was aware of the problem but said the three-monthly delivers were obligatory.
She said the bigger problem was poor storage facilities at district health centres.
“When they have emergency requirements, they can come with their own vehicles and take how much the need,” she said.
