“Days Away From Disaster? NHS Warns UK Could Run Out of Vital Medicines” Import reliance leaves supply chain exposed as Iran conflict disrupts flows

UK could run out of some medicines within days, NHS warns

#UK #NHS #MedicineShortage #HealthcareCrisis #PublicHealth #BreakingNews #GlobalHealth #SupplyChain #HealthAlert

www.easterneye.biz/uk-medicine-...

UK Weeks Away From Medicine Shortages? Iran War Sparks Alarm Drug supplies and prices could come under pressure if disruption continues

UK faces possible medicine shortages as Iran conflict disrupts global supply chains

#UKNews #MedicineShortage #IranConflict #SupplyChain #Healthcare #NHS #GlobalTrade #BreakingNews #Pharma

www.easterneye.biz/uk-medicine-...

Pak faces severe medicine shortage amid import disruptions, just 45 days’ stock left - Yes Punjab News Pakistan faces critical medicine shortages as Middle East conflict disrupts pharma imports, threatening healthcare and infant nutrition.

Pak faces severe medicine shortage amid import disruptions, just 45 days’ stock left yespunjab.com?p=227753

#Pakistan #MedicineShortage #HealthcareCrisis #PharmaCrisis #MiddleEastConflict #DrugSupply #InfantNutrition #PublicHealth #GlobalSupplyChain #IranIsraelConflict #HealthcareNews

Following the alert earlier this month warning of potential TB medicine shortages, we have partnered with experts to provide a crucial resource in managing the next few months.

📅 Tue 9 Sep, 12.30pm
👉 brit-thoracic.uk/TBSupplyWebinar25

#TB #Webinar #TBAlert #MedicineShortage #NHS #UKHealthcare

Gaza health system ‘catastrophic’ as hospitals overwhelmed and medicines running out, WHO warns Public health conditions in Gaza are “catastrophic”, with hospitals operating far beyond capacity. Some life-saving medicines are totally out of stock, while deaths from malnutrition and disease are on the rise, the UN health agency warned on Tuesday.

#Gaza health system ‘catastrophic’ as hospitals overwhelmed and #medicines running out, WHO warns

#HealthCrisis #MedicineShortage #Blockade #Genocide #Malnutrition #LetTheAidTrucksIn

Why Medicated Strepsils Not Available in Pakistan | Old Statistics Made Finance Minister Angry

Watch Full video: youtu.be/VSAUFEB0has

#conzumertv #StrepsilsPakistan #MedicineShortage #ReckittPakistan #HealthcareCrisis #PharmaNews #FinanceMinister #EconomicStats

🚨 Just 1 week left!

Hospital pharmacists, healthcare professionals and patients, across Europe, help us tackle medicine shortages.

📢 Take the 2025 #EAHP Medicine Shortage Survey today!
Your voice = real impact!

🔗 www.surveymonkey.com/r/JTGHFDH

#Pharmacy #MedicineShortage #EAHP2025 #HealthPolicy

Make a note in your diaries: on 4th November, the EMA is hosting a webinar on medicine shortages. #MedicineShortage www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents...

Rundu hospital sends patients to pharmacies while medicine gathers dust in storeroom Patients sent to buy own supplies Patients at Rundu State Hospital are being told to buy medicine at private pharmacies, despite essential supplies sitting unused in the hospital storeroom. They say they have to buy their own anaesthetics, malaria kits, and basics like bandages. Following several patients complaining they are told the hospital has no medicine, The Namibian this week visited the facility’s storeroom – only to discover supplies being kept in boxes without being dispatched. Among the items were malaria test kits. Despite this, Rundu resident Jairus Johannes on Monday said he was told the hospital has no such kits. “I brought my daughter to the hospital because she was not feeling well. She vomited and I suspected malaria,” he said. Johannes said his child was attended to, but he was told there was no medicine available for her. “I was advised to go and buy a malaria test kit at the pharmacy, since there were none at the hospital,” he said. Johannes says he subsequently bought a kit and took it to the hospital. Ministry of Health and Social Services spokesperson Walters Kamaya and Rundu State Hospital superintendent Theresia Shivera did not respond to questions on the situation this week. EMERGENCIES ONLY In addition, The Namibian last week reported that the hospital was only performing emergency operations due to a shortage of anaesthetics. The ministry blamed this on poor coordination and monitoring between its different functional units in the region and the Central Medical Stores. In a statement, it said this has resulted in orders not being delivered and distributed on time, despite sufficient stock being available countrywide. However, executive director of health and social services Penda Ithindi on Monday said the ministry is not aware of the situation. “I will find out on the ground to verify the level of stock and we will give the directive,” he said. A patient who prefers to remain anonymous on Monday said he has had to buy dressing pads and a bandage himself. “I came for my follow-up and to dress the wound. I was told dressing materials are out of stock. I decided to go buy gauze swabs and bandages myself,” he said. He was told to return to the hospital for dressing on Tuesday, he said. “I cannot wait for tomorrow, because the wound is open and it can be infected. That’s why I bought the dressing pads, which cost me N$31.70,” he said. PHARMACISTS SPEAK OUT A private pharmacist at Rundu, who spoke on condition of anonymity, this week said he has noticed an increase in state patients being referred to private pharmacies since April. “We have been receiving 20 to 30 state patients per day since the beginning of April to buy medicine,” he said. Another pharmacist said: “More state patients flock here on a daily basis, saying there’s no medicine and they are told to buy their own. An elderly woman was referred this week to buy a rabies vaccine after her grandson was bitten by a dog. It was expensive.” She said the woman could simply not afford it. Kehemu resident Johannes Mpoko on Wednesday said his child fell from a tree and needed a specific ointment, which was not available at the hospital. “I was referred to the Rundu State Hospital pharmacy, and was told there’s no medicine unless I buy it,” he said. Meanwhile, the child was in pain, he said. NO STATE CT SCAN Sarafina Shifafure, a Tuhingireni resident, says she was forced to spend N$300 on medicine this week after her daughter complained of a headache, dizziness and vomiting. “I had to go buy the medicine to stop my child from throwing up, because in the hospital there was nothing. They checked her blood and extracted fluid from her spine to check if there was any infection,” she says. Shifafure says the fluid extraction was done five times for some reason. This was later abandoned due to possible complications. “I don’t have medical aid, so I asked them to refer the child to a Windhoek state hospital, but they did not do it,” she says. Shifafure says her daughter was instead referred for a CT scan at a private facility in Windhoek, which will cost her N$28 000, since the machine at Rundu is out of order. The post Rundu hospital sends patients to pharmacies while medicine gathers dust in storeroom appeared first on The Namibian.

#Namibia #RunduHospital #HealthcareIssues #PatientRights #MedicineShortage

Health ministry investigates medicine shortage claims at Rundu hospital The Ministry of Health and Social Services says it will launch an investigation into why patients at the Rundu State Hospital are being told to buy their own supplies at private pharmacies. The ministry’s spokesperson, Walters Kamaya, in a press statement on Friday said internal investigations will follow The Namibian’s report that patients are being sent to buy medication even after it was established that there was stock available. Patients said on the record that some of them have spent N$300 on medicine at private pharmacies. A visit by The Namibian earlier this week to the hospital’s storeroom confirmed that the stock was available while patients were being sent to private pharmacies. “In the presence of verifiable evidence of stock availability, internal investigation will be undertaken to assess the veracity of these specific cases of patients being referred to private facilities,” Kamaya said. Should such instances be confirmed by the ministry, Kamaya assured the nation that appropriate administrative measures will be taken. The ministry reiterated, and confirmed that stock levels including malaria test kits and dressings, are available at the hospital. “Medicines are stored appropriately and dispensed to patients, countering misconceptions that drugs are kept in storerooms and not used,” Kamaya said. “The ministry reaffirms its dedication to transparency, accountability and improving healthcare delivery,” he concluded. The post Health ministry investigates medicine shortage claims at Rundu hospital appeared first on The Namibian.

#HealthMinistry #MedicineShortage #RunduHospital #PatientCare #HealthcareInvestigation

MP tells health minister to focus on basic needs before e-health Erasmus Shalihaxwe Landless People’s Movement (LPM) member of parliament Aina Kodi urged the Minister of Health and Social Services, Esperance Luvindao, to prioritise fixing medicine shortages, staff gaps, and failing infrastructure before rolling out electronic health platforms. Kodi raised these concerns in Parliament during the debate on the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ N$12.3 billion budget for the 2024/25 financial year. This follows the ministry’s plan to place digital systems at the centre of its budget allocation for 2025/26.  Presenting the health vote this week in the National Assembly, Luvindao said the goal is to modernise healthcare and improve access, especially in remote areas. However, Kodi said, while the move toward digital health systems is commendable, the timing is wrong. “The emphasis on smart systems is a distraction from more pressing needs: hospitals don’t have enough beds, wards are overcrowded, and staff shortages result in long queues and substandard care.  Without resolving these structural issues, digital platforms will either be underutilised or fail entirely,” she said. She added that many health facilities still struggle with basic ICT infrastructure, inconsistent electricity, and no internet, especially in rural areas where digital services are needed most. Kodi criticised the minister’s motivation statement for not addressing incomplete projects, unspent funds, or ongoing issues like medicine shortages, broken equipment, and poor facilities. “Without credible mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, budgeting becomes a ritual rather than a strategy. Namibians deserve accountability for how their taxes are spent, and Parliament must demand performance reports tied to clear indicators before approving further allocations,” she said. She also pointed to the gap between government announcements and funding. Despite the ministry’s approval of 11,742 new positions, the current budget only allows for the recruitment of 434 health professionals.  Kodi said this undermines existing and new facilities and raises questions about the government’s planning. Kodi further criticised the lack of funding for structured programmes targeting mental health and chronic diseases, despite the growing burden of conditions like depression, substance abuse, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.  “These conditions are among the top contributors to morbidity and mortality, but are largely missing from strategic priorities and spending plans. Mental health, too, is given only token attention. While the idea of a national rehabilitation centre is introduced, there is no funding roadmap or strategic integration with existing services,” she said. She called for a nationwide community mental health framework with trained personnel and proper referral systems. “Ignoring these areas of disease will only result in higher future costs, both financial and human,” Kodi said.

#Healthcare #HealthMinister #EHealth #PublicHealth #MedicineShortage

Insufficient Storage Blamed for Namibia's Medicine Shortages [Namibian] The Ministry of Health and Social Services has attributed the medicine shortage to a lack of adequate medicine storage facilities in the country.

#Namibia #MedicineShortage #HealthCare #PublicHealth #StorageSolutions