Daily Trust report spurs FG to clear N200m malaria drug

An investigative report published on the Daily Trust health page of January 18 this year  has led to the clearance of abandoned drugs worth over N200 million naira donated by the Republic of China. The exclusive report titled   “How N200m malaria drugs waste away,” had uncovered the federal government’s negligence in making available to millions […]

An investigative report published on the Daily Trust health page of January 18 this year  has led to the clearance of abandoned drugs worth over N200 million naira donated by the Republic of China.
The exclusive report titled   “How N200m malaria drugs waste away,” had uncovered the federal government’s negligence in making available to millions of Nigerians, the much needed malaria drugs.
The report had also raised alarm that the drugs if not cleared soon would expire in a year time (now seven months time), and would also be a huge loss to the country which together with the Democratic Republic of Congo, accounts for more than 35% of global malaria deaths in 2015, according to World Malaria Report 2015.
Sources from the Federal Ministry of Health and some of the organizations concerned have revealed that the report  caused rumples when the attention of some officials including the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Amina Shamaki was drawn to it. The attention of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole was also drawn to the report and he gave a directive to the procurement unit in the ministry to pay the clearance bill and clear the drugs.
The drugs were cleared on April 29 and moved from the Customs section at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos to the Federal Medical Stores, Oshodi, Lagos, and are now ready for distribution to internally displaced persons in the country; and some states that are in dire need of the drugs mentioned in the report.
Preparations are also in top gear for the official launch and handover of the drugs on 20th of this month to the Minister of Health, Prof. Adewole by the Ambassador of the Republic of China. Meanwhile distribution of the drugs is set to commence pending the official handover, Daily Trust has gathered.
The anti-malaria medicines which contain injections for treating severe malaria, and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) were donated to Nigeria by the Chinese government in February 2015.
However, investigations by this reporter showed that from that time till January this year, the medicines worth over N200 million were lying at the cargo section of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos due to the inability of the Federal Ministry of Health to release money for the clearance.
According to the report in January, “At the initial stage, when the medicines were donated, the clearing fee was just about three million naira but the inability of the government to clear it has made it incur 25 million naira demurrage.
“These medicines are wasting away and will expire in a year’s time. Suffice to say if  government doesn’t clear them on time, it will be a huge loss to the country, especially when clearing them will benefit many Nigerians. This is an ominous sign in the fight against malaria in the country.”
On the seven months expiration time frame, medical experts spoken to said the cleared drugs are safe for consumption.