By: Julie Badui Owa – EMTV News, Lae
A nurse at the West Taraka Clinic in Lae said a six months old baby died two months ago because their family couldn’t afford to buy amoxicillin at the pharmacy as prescribed by one of the nurses.
The Clinic submitted their orders of medical supplies to the Area Medical Store on the 5th of September this year, but was told that there were no amoxicillin in stock.
The clinic is one of the seven clinics in Lae that ran out of basic medical drugs including Amoxicillin and Panadol.
This is what we witnessed inside the treatment room at West Taraka Clinic. A nurse telling these patients to buy their medicines at the pharmacy as prescribed.
Deffie Mafunge is a community health worker serving at West Taraka Health Clinic. She said she’s warning the patients, and mothers to buy medicine, after seeing a 6-months old baby die 2 months ago.
The community health worker showed us a dispensary that ran out of basic drugs. They had not been supplied since their last order on the 05 of September.
Martha Mwawesi said their list basic medicines like antibiotics and painkillers were out of stock at the Area Medical Store.
They didn’t receive any until today.
Today, most of the patients were given prescriptions to buy their medical supplies at the pharmacies.
West Taraka Clinic is one of the seven urban clinics in Lae that serves a population of 15 thousand. The nurses attend to more than 150 patients each day.
Related Article(s):
- Patients are Dying as Urban Clinics faces Medical Drugs Shortages
- Medicine shortages affect all urban clinics in Lae city
