Paulina Quintao – Member of Parliament Manuel de Castro Pereira has demanded answers from the Health Ministry regarding its management of medicines as some health facilities still lack essential equipment.

MP Manuel de Castro Pereira said people needed to know the ministry's processes. "There's no medicine in Oestiku, Vemasse sub-district,or the Uatolari Health Centre," he said.

He said he was concerned as the Health Ministry had taken delivery of a large shipment of medicine but this had not reached district health centres. "We just want to ask how the Health Ministry works," he said. Health centers also lacked diagnostic facilities such as x-ray machines, he said.

Commission F (education, health, culture, veterans' affairs and gender equality) member Antonio Ximenes Serpa acknowledged the issue, which had been brought to light by monitoring activities. Health centres did not have the correct medicines or things such as oxygen, he said.

"There is a woman in Suku Kribas who was suffering from asthma and had a heart attack. She was taken to the Manatuto health center but because there was no medicine or oxygen there, she had to be transferred again to the national hospital but she was unable to be saved because intervention came so late," he said. Serpa said poor co-ordination exacerbated the problem.

Deputy Health Minister for management and human resources support Maria do Ceu Sarmento Pina da Costa said health centres made requests for medicines which were fulfilled by the Autonomous Service of Medicines and Health Equipment (SAMES).

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/12910-mp-demands-answers-over-health-services