Luwero District has tightened drug dispensing procedures in a bid to curb the theft of medicines from government health facilities, a vice that has reportedly left patients struggling to access essential drugs.
At least nine health workers from Luwero District are currently under interdiction, seven of whom are facing criminal charges related to alleged drug theft. The latest suspect, Marion Namugenyi, a midwife at a Luwero hospital, is currently on remand at Luzira Prison following her arrest by the National Drug Authority (NDA).
She is accused of stealing 12,000 doses of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and other essential medicines valued at approximately 50 million shillings. Luwero District health officials say some health workers have been exploiting loopholes in the medicines management system to steal government drugs.
The Luwero District Health Officer, Dr Innocent Nkonwa, says some health workers allegedly create records for non-existent patients in the health information system and subsequently dispense medicines against those records for their own benefit. Others reportedly exploit weaknesses in the supply and distribution chain to divert drugs.
To address the problem, Nkonwa says the district has introduced a central pharmacy model under which health workers submit medicine requisitions only on Mondays and Thursdays. The medicines are then issued to the respective departments.
He says the arrangement is intended to limit the quantities of drugs held by individual health workers and strengthen accountability by ensuring that all medicines received are properly documented. Nkonwa adds that the district is also taking additional measures to improve the tracking of medicines and strengthen dispensing records.
Meanwhile, the National Drug Authority says stolen medicines from Luwero, and other districts are being trafficked across the borders into South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, depriving intended beneficiaries of essential treatment.
Abiaz Rwamwiri, the National Drug Authority spokesperson, says that, in some cases, health workers allegedly steal expired antiretroviral drugs and resell them to farmers, who mix the medicines into animal feeds.
According to Rwamwiri, the Authority has impounded government medicines worth 25 billion shillings that were stolen from public health facilities over the past three years. However, he says substantial quantities remain untraceable.
Rwamwiri says the Authority met health facility in-charges and Luwero district leaders on Wednesday to warn them against drug theft and remind them of their responsibility to safeguard government medicines.
He adds that the NDA has intensified operations aimed at identifying and arresting suspects involved in the theft and illegal distribution of government drugs.
Luwero District Resident District Commissioner Mariam Nalubega Sseguya has also called for collective action to combat the theft of government medicines, warning that the crime poses both a public health risk and a security threat.
Sseguya says there are concerns that some stolen medicines end up supporting rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo, further underscoring the need for stronger controls and coordinated enforcement. The medicines most commonly targeted include antiretroviral drugs, malaria medicines, and other essential drugs intended for patients in government health facilities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
