The pharmacy at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) is currently facing an increase in patient numbers, dispensing medication to between 250 and 300 patients daily.
This surge comes in the wake of a decision by the Minister of Health, Dr Stephen Modise, who announced last week that SKMTH would operate as a public hospital effective immediately, aimed at enhancing services and alleviating congestion at Princess Marina Hospital.
In his then address, Dr Modise confirmed that both pharmacy and laboratory support services would commence operations at SKMTH and Princess Marina Hospital starting February 2.
On February 5, members of the media visited SKMTH and were informed that although some medication shortages persist, the overall situation is steadily improving.
“We are seeing quite a number of patients visiting the facility, and we are able to assist them with medication,” said SKMTH pharmacist, Tshepho Kgabontle.
Mr Kgabontle noted that the pharmacy’s situation was improving daily, forecasting that soon, medication currently unavailable would be accessible.
However, some delays in dispensing medication have been attributed to administrative processes.
When items arrive from the Central Medical Stores, they must first be logged into the system before patients can receive them.
“That process sometimes means we receive the medication, but it would not be ready immediately,” Mr Kgabontle explained.
The current patient load marks a sharp rise compared to previous weeks. Before the establishment of the public health authority, the pharmacy averaged approximately 50 patients per day.
The surge is attributed to several factors, including the redeployment of clinics previously operating in Marina to SKMTH, resulting in influx from surrounding clinics and facilities.
“We do have other patients coming from outside SKMTH, and we assist them as well,” Mr Kgabontle added.
Despite the pressure on services, he indicated that the pharmacy was managing to dispense a majority of the required medications. While precise stock figures were not available, he reported that many patients arrived with chronic prescriptions containing multiple items.
“In most cases, we are able to provide more than 60 percent of the prescribed medications,” he remarked
Leave a Reply