GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Eden District’s public clinics and hospitals face the same medicine shortages as the rest of the country, and some patients are unable to obtain their chronic medication.
District health spokesperson Nadia Ferreira said alternatives are provided where appropriate, or reduced prescriptions are issued.
Stock is redistributed where possible, and pharmacists and clinicians work together to identify suitable alternatives based on patients’ medical histories and available medicines. In some cases, however, no appropriate alternative is available.
According to a private pharmacist, Selna du Plessis of Geneva Pharmacy, the situation has been challenging, but the private sector can find solutions more easily thanks to a greater variety of suppliers and generic alternatives.
Du Plessis said it has been especially difficult to obtain hormone replacement therapy and contraceptives, including patches, over the past six months. Eye drops and certain blood pressure medications have also been in short supply.
Suppliers often give advance warning of possible shortages, helping pharmacies to plan their stock accordingly. “There is also a compounding pharmacy in George authorised to produce certain medicines that become unavailable. Fortunately, we have always been able to find a solution by using alternative medication where medicines have been unavailable,” she said.
Pharmacist Selna du Plessis. Photo: Supplied
The National Department of Health’s contract management unit (CMU) says the South African Health Products Regulator Authority (Sahpra) has granted Section 21 approval for the emergency use of certain unregistered medicines where registered products are unavailable, and no therapeutic alternative exists. These approvals expire at different times between November 2026 and April 2027.
The CMU attributes shortages to supply chain challenges, and measures include sourcing medicines from additional manufacturers, promoting the rational use of available stock and obtaining Sahpra authorisation to import medicines where necessary.
Investigation
Earlier this week, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said up to 50 critical medicines are allegedly out of stock in the public sector. Their health spokesperson, Michele Clarke, called for an urgent parliamentary investigation into the causes and extent of the shortages.
Clarke also wants possible regulatory and pricing impacts affecting local pharmaceutical manufacturing investigated.
“The DA has reports of some local drug manufacturers blaming new Sahpra regulations and the single exit price as contributing to a declining local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which impacts medication availability,” she said.
District health spokesperson Nadia Ferreira. Photo: Supplied
Western Cape Health and Wellness Minister Mireille Wenger recently also called for urgent national intervention and wrote to the National Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, in September, asking for clear timelines and action.
Advice to patients
The provincial department said patients should ask questions if their medicine looks different, if their treatment has changed or if their usual medicine is unavailable. They should continue collecting their medication and not change how they take it without first speaking to a healthcare professional.
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