Paulina Quintao – Thirty types of medicine are currently out of stock at the Dili Municipality Health Center (MHC) warehouse.

Dili Municipality Health representative Agustinha da Costa Saldanha acknowledged the issue, but stressed it hadn't had a significant impact on community health services.

She said even if essential medicine such as antacid and antibiotics were not available, other alternatives could be used to treat patients.

To ensure health services continued to function properly, da Costa said the health municipality had also allocated some additional funding for the purchase of emergency supplies and other equipment in the case they were not available through the Autonomous Drug and Medical Equipment Service (SAMES), the body responsible for distribution.

However, she said there was no issue with primary health care as other medicine such as paracetamol could be used to treat a range of common illnesses.

Member of Commission F (responsible for health, education, culture, veteran affairs and gender equality) MP Ilda Maria da Conceicao said she was disappointed that medical stocks were again running short despite National Parliament allocating generous funding every year for the purchase of medicine.

"I do not know where the problem is. Every year we allocate the funds to purchase the medicine, but the health facilities, the national hospital, health centers and the health posts keep running out of the medicine," she said.

She called on the Ministry of Health (MH) to revise the contract with its supplier and urged against purchasing medicine that was close to expiring. "Do not buy medicine close to the expiration date as otherwise it will useless," she said.

Meanwhile, MP Jacinto Viegas Vicente said Maliana Referral Hospital was also running low on medicine. "When the patient has a checkup, the doctor writes a prescription so the patient can buy the medicine outside (at a pharmacy). It happens and I see it," he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/13866-dili-municipality-runs-out-of-30-types-of-medicine