Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital medical superintendent Collet Mawire has justified the distribution of expired antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs.
Mawire indicated that the Hospital distributed tablets which had a June 2018 expiry date following the green light from Medicine Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) which tested the drugs and gave them another year. Mawire explained:
On the issue of ART tablets, we were given the go-ahead to distribute them following some tests after the expiry date. So it is above board, it is in order.
Wensilus Nyamayaro, provincial medical director said the procedure was that health institutions should stop distributing either tablets or medicine on the day of expiry. They also have to send samples to MCAZ which will advise whether to dispose or to continue using them for a subscribed time.
Some patients on the ART programme have expressed that the move kills trust that existed between them and the health service provider. They also said it has implications on their recovery as the mind which is critical for the process is being tampered with.
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More: NewsDay