…sick patients are continuously given prescription slips to buy paracetamolA massive drug shortage continues to shake up the Public Health Ministry. Sick patients are still being referred to purchase basic drugs from private pharmacies.A patient showing his referral prescription slip.A source from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) revealed that although the Ministry continues to deny that there is a shortage, the evidence is showing otherwise. The source said that 68 of 86 drugs on the essential drugs list were out of stock.This newspaper was reliable informed that the Georgetown Public Hospital, the largest medical institution in Guyana, had run out of paracetamol, aspirin, 70/30 insulin and lanoxin injections among other vital drugs four weeks ago.Even though, the hospital continues to deny the situation, sick patients are visiting this newspaper and complaining of the situation. One man stated that he went to the hospital to be treated for an enlarged prostate and that when the doctor had finished examining him he was given a prescription slip to purchase drugs from a private pharmacy.“When I asked these people why I can’t get the tablet right there, they told me that they ain’t get it in stock. I don’t know what type of hospital they running. This is bare madness…a hospital without tablets. What they really running in this place?” the man lamented,Cheap Jerseys Authentic, waving his prescription card in his hand.Earlier this year, another shortage of drugs was reported at the hospital. It forced officials from the hospital and the Ministry to go 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, 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, which was the primary provider of medical supplies for the public health care system, some $500 million.There were also reports of inflation drugs in the public health care system.However,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the government had made a decision to stop using the GPC as their supplier for drugs and medical supplies. This decision,Authentic Jerseys China, the PAHO source said, is one of the major reasons for the current drug shortage.“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 but to ask them to stop supplying the drugs immediately was a bad move,” 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.“Packaging alone would take about a month or two. So to say you are going to stop the GPC from supplying and then call somebody and the drugs will arrive immediately is error thinking…The government cannot deny that there is shortage,” the source said.PAHO secured an international supplier for Guyana a few weeks ago,Air Max 97 Black Leather, the source disclosed, adding that it is estimated that the emergency shipment would cost the government about $1million. This shipment is scheduled to arrive in Guyana by June while the other supplies, coming by sea, will take about three to four months.“PAHO is helping to facilitate them to have supplies immediately…it is bad that people have to go and buy Panadol…They should not have to go and buy things like that. Government should supply that but PAHO is willing to help,wholesale jerseys,” the source stressed.The procured supplier of the drugs is a non-profit organization that has been used by the World Health Organization (WHO) for years.Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Karen Cummings, however denied the drug shortage when contacted on Friday. She stated that she has received no such information about a shortage at the Georgetown Public Hospital or at any of the health centres.She indicated that the Ministry’s decision to move away from collecting supplies from GPC was a deliberated decision and timely,NFL Jerseys Wholesale, since for over a year they have being paying the GPC for drugs and receiving nothing.