Mozambican health professionals with 453 deviation processes

Athe mozambican authorities identified and forwarded to the prosecutor 15 cases of drug theft involving health professionals in the last two years, and instituted 453 disciplinary proceedings against drug diversion, illegal charges and poor care.

“ In the last two years, 15 cases of drug theft involving health professionals have been identified and referred to the Public Ministry. Of these, three cases resulted in the trial and condemnation of the respective defendants, one culminated in the application of the disciplinary sanction of expulsion, while the remaining 12 are in the educational phase with the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” said the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Fernando Rafael.

In replying, in parliament, to questions from deputies representing the Minister of Health, the governor said that only this year the Mozambican authorities arrested eight people involved in the diversion and theft of medicines from the national health system, closed 15 private pharmacies by selling these drugs, with four open criminal cases.

These drug seizures occurred after monitoring 283 pharmacies, stating that the drugs in the market have quality and will be used for the provision of health care to the population and not diverted for purposes other than the public interest.

The data presented by the minister Fernando Rafael also indicate that only in the last two years 453 disciplinary proceedings were instituted, of which 82 for illegal charges, 68 for maltreatment, 45 for drug diversion, 25 for negligence and 233 for other offences, which culminated in 60 expelled employees, 48 dismissed, 42 decommissioned and 68 employees with fine sentences.

“The government considers that combating drug diversion requires an integrated approach that combines mechanisms of prevention, supervision, accountability and active involvement of citizens. For this reason, we call on the general population and other actors in society to strengthen surveillance and denounce any practices of illicit sale of medicines from the National Health System ", appealed the minister.

The government again pointed out the post-election manifestations among the causes of the lack of drugs in health units, with the replacement taking up to at least 24 months, in addition to the increasing restrictions on access to certain products in the international market, especially anesthetics, a situation that has contributed to the occurrence of stock breaks of medicines and materials essential to the provision of health care.

Still, it ensured that the country will receive in the next two months medical supplies to supply the sanitary units sufficiently, asking for these products to be used responsibly, including improvements in hospital care.

Last month, Mozambique received medicines and medical-surgical material with a screening system aimed at strengthening distribution control and halting deviations, an effort supported by the World Bank to improve public supply.

The system makes it possible to consult the route of the products from the codes assigned to boxes and pallets, including the entrances and exits of warehouses and the destination of consignments. In this way, when entering the code of a particular product, the responsible persons can check the registered history and location, from the entry into the system to the unit to which it was sent.