Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton, yesterday denied that there is a massive drug shortage in the public health sector and lambasted the media for what he says is “bogus” reporting.Recently,Wholesale NBA Jerseys, reports surfaced of a massive drug shortage on essential drugs at various hospitals and health centres across the country. The ministry has strongly refuted the condition.“It is an allegation and we will remedy the situation,Cheap NFL Jerseys China,” he stated. However, he was unable to say how.Norton asserted that he had contacted the Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and was told that there was no shortage.“I’m thankful that the media can highlight the shortcomings of the public health sector but this one is not true. It is nothing but bogus reporting,” he criticized, emphasizing that he has no reason to doubt his health officers on the issue.Kaieteur News had reported that the shortage which began earlier in the year was still affecting the sector, especially the Georgetown Public Hospital, and patients were being sent to private pharmacies to purchase essential drugs on the World Health Organization’s list of essential drugs.This newspaper had received credible information that 68 of 86 drugs on the list were out of stock. Some of these medications were paracetamol, aspirin, 70/30 insulin and lanoxin injections. Sick patients have also visited the newspaper, complaining of the dismal situation.Nevertheless,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, Dr. Norton maintains his position on the issue. When questioned whether the government’s decision to discontinue service with New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC) for the procurement of medical supplies might have caused things to spiral out of control. He said that it was a policy decision to move away from a “monopoly” type of position where only one company provides supply.He said the decision was also made to prevent the recurrence of bulks of drugs being dumped.A reliable health official had indicated that this move was a “bad one” since the Ministry is now in a crisis situation.“I think it is a government decision that went bad…It is understandable that they didn’t want the GPC to be the only suppliers of drugs because they will become corrupt,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, but to ask them to stop supplying the drugs immediately was a bad move,Cheap NFL jerseys China,” the source said.Importation of drugs takes about six months to arrive and if a supplier is cut off then there will be no drugs circulating in the health care system, this newspaper was informed. The source indicated, further, that the government cannot deny the shortage since it was a move to secure an international supplier to send in an emergency shipment of drugs.This shipment is estimated, the source said, to cost the government $1million. It is scheduled to arrive in Guyana by June while the other supplies, coming by sea, will take about three to four months.The procured supplier of the drugs is a non-profit organization that has been used by the World Health Organization (WHO) for years.Earlier this year, a drug shortage was reported at the hospital, which had officials from the hospital and the Ministry appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and report the stock out.It was reported that 186 drugs were completely out of stock or in short supply. In 2014, the previous administration was forced to dump over $80 million worth in expired drugs. In 2015,Discount NFL Jerseys, the new government sent back $600 million in pharmaceutical drugs from the Regions to the central government.There was also a startling disclosure that the hospital owed the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation some $500 million.