After weeks of delays at the port, transporting locked-up medical supplies to warehouses will take two more weeks due to logistical challenges.
Moreover, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has yet to certify two of the cleared containers housing some injectables.
People living with HIV, tuberculosis, and other health conditions who depend on Global Fund-donated medications would have to wait a while longer for the supplies to reach them.
The spokesperson for the Coalition of CSOs in Health, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, says despite completing all customs documentation, logistical challenges are slowing the process, as only sixteen containers can be cleared per day.
He estimates it will take an additional two weeks to transport all containers to their destinations across the country.
“Even though clearance has been given for all the containers to be removed, there is the challenge of how many trucks can be offloaded in a day. Under current circumstances, the Central Medical Stores typically offloads eight trucks a day, but now they are forced to offload a maximum of 16 a day. This means it will take some time to transport all the containers from the port to the warehouse. Technically speaking, the GRA and other port authorities have given the go-ahead for the commodities to be cleared, but logistical reasons are delaying their transportation to the warehouse.”
He added that this week, they are receiving 70 containers and that provisions have been made for these 70 containers. Earlier, they received 64 containers, and in the coming week, they expect to receive another 64 containers. By their projection, within a maximum of two weeks, all containers should be transported from the port to the warehouses.
In an interview on Joy News, he stated that although some medications have been shipped to regional centres, the FDA has yet to certify two containers containing injectables. “We started with the first batch to arrive. When they did, the FDA was invited to inspect them. All the certified ones were quickly dispatched to the regions. Only one or two containers are left, which the FDA is still testing for malaria and artesunate injections. These two containers have yet to leave, but all the others have already been distributed to the regional medical stores.”
He confirmed that the inspected medications sent to the regional medical stores were in good condition and safe for use.
“The FDA okayed them and so they were transported, the ones they had issues with them, they still haven't given the go-ahead for them to be transported so they are still at the warehouse,” he added.
