Samoa's main hospital rationing medicine amid critical shortage

7:23 am today

Children's paracetamol remain in low supply.

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Samoa's national hospital is rationing critical medicine due to a low supply, with outside help offering temporary relief.

Last week, the Health Ministry received an urgent air freight shipment from Fiji-based Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH), covering only about half of what is needed.

Key drugs like metformin, a drug to manage and treat type 2 diabetes, amlodipine which is used to treat high blood pressure, and also children's paracetamol remain scarce, with the rest of PSH's supplies expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

Local media report that a SAT$12 million backlog in unpaid supplier bills is a factor in the low supplies.

Samoa Medical Association president Seiuli Dr George Tuitama told the Samoa Observer the shortage has impacted the mental health unit as well, but he is hoping the government willl be able to navigate its way out of this situation.

"We're rationing our medication by making sure that we give the medication, in which we go out and give you, so if you've got a mental disorder, we come to your home and give you the medication daily," he was quoted as saying.

According to the Samoa Observer, medicine shortage was a identified as a barrier to effective medical care in the country during the Samoa Medical Association's annual general meeting last week.

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