Medicine Shortages: KZN Hospitals and Clinics Face Challenges, What You Should Know

Key points in this article:

• Medicine Shortages in KZN Hospitals and Clinics – Public healthcare facilities across KwaZulu-Natal are grappling with severe medication shortages, sparking frustration among patients and healthcare workers.
• Health Portfolio Committee Demands Answers from MEC – The Health Portfolio Committee has summoned MEC Nomagugu Simelane to address the escalating crisis, following reports of ongoing stock-outs.
• Financial Strain and Allegations of Government Mismanagement – Delayed supplier payments and budgetary constraints have worsened the crisis, affecting both medication supplies and security services at healthcare facilities.

The public healthcare system in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is currently navigating through turbulent waters as allegations of acute medication shortages in hospitals have triggered widespread concern.

This crisis has escalated to the point where the MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane, has been compelled to appear before the Health Portfolio Committee to clarify the situation.

The issue burst into public view at the start of the month when social media platforms became a battleground for KZN residents voicing their frustrations over unavailable medications. This public outcry was addressed by Zwakele Mncwango, the ActionSA KZN Provincial Chairperson, who disclosed that ActionSA had penned a letter to the MEC for Health, demanding immediate oversight visits to delve into the crisis.

“Many KZN residents have expressed their frustrations on social media about their inability to access essential medication, yet the department claims to be unaware of the crisis. To assist the MEC in understanding the severity of the situation, ActionSA is prepared to provide detailed information on affected healthcare facilities, as well as the names of residents who have personally reported their struggles in accessing vital medication,” Mncwango stated.

He also shed light on the financial bottlenecks, with some suppliers, crucial for providing essential injections, awaiting payments. This financial delay has not only exacerbated the medication crisis but has also left security services at healthcare facilities unpaid.

“In our letter to the MEC, we informed her that our intention is not to cause panic but to bring this urgent matter to the MEC’s attention. The reality is that the department appears to be out of funds, and we had hoped this would prompt the MEC to engage with the KZN Cabinet and Premier to urgently approach National Treasury for financial assistance,” Mncwango added.

Furthermore, critiques of the Health Department’s strategy to manage public perception have been vocal. They stated that instead of engaging with healthcare professionals for a candid assessment, the department chose a PR approach, selectively interviewing patients at certain clinics.

“To further control the narrative, the department visited a depot to showcase stocked medication instead of assessing the situation directly at healthcare facilities where shortages are being reported. Additionally, the department has completely disregarded the numerous comments from KZN residents on its social media platforms, where people are openly sharing their struggles in accessing essential medication. And it is for this reason that we have written to the MEC, requesting her availability for a joint oversight,” Mncwango emphasised.

In a bid to address these concerns head-on, MEC Nomagugu Simelane organised an impromptu media tour at Wentworth Hospital, aiming to clarify the narrative around medication and pharmaceutical stock levels.

Over the last fortnight, the KZN Department of Health has been combating reports suggesting an impending medication crisis until 1 April 2025, describing such claims as exaggerated. During a media briefing, MEC Simelane reaffirmed the department’s commitment to transparency:

“We remain committed to ensuring transparency and keeping the public informed on developments that affect healthcare services in the province. Our facilities maintain an 89% medicine stock availability rate, through our Provincial Pharmacy Supply Depot (PPSD) and down to facilities level, which is within acceptable operational standards,” she assured.

Acknowledging occasional shortages due to supplier delays, she emphasised that alternatives are always sought.

“We are actively working with suppliers to mitigate these disruptions and ensure uninterrupted access to essential medicines. We want to assure the public that healthcare services in KwaZulu-Natal remain operational, and most medications are available. We are continuously working to improve service delivery,” she added.

She also tackled misinformation regarding the availability of TB medication, Rifampicin, and corrected a media report that misrepresented her statements on procurement practices. “We do not procure on an immediate payment basis, so even if we paid late, it did not mean we did not get the medication,” she clarified.

However, these assurances have not quelled all concerns. The Health Portfolio Committee has once again summoned MEC Simelane, signalling that the situation might not be as controlled as portrayed. Dr Imran Keeka, the Committee Chairperson, expressed his concerns in a letter:

“Since your last update on medicine stock-outs and the steps taken by the department, members of the committee and I, are inundated with queries about what appears to be a worsening situation. Inasmuch as your reassurance stands, we believe that the situation requires that the committee is appraised and updated. Without doubt, the circumstances have since evolved…This is now a matter of public/ provincial importance,” Keeka stated.

The overall medicine availability in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal is at 88%. The breakdown of availability is as follows:

·         The supplier pipeline is at 89.4%. This output impacts the value chain downstream. Any supply constraint at manufacturer /supplier level impacts at lower levels of the value chain.

·         The medicine availability at the Provincial Pharmaceutical Supply Depot (PPSD) is at 73.4%. The Depot releases all the stock it has in its warehouse to facilities as per demand from facilities. The hospitals and Community Health Centres also receive stock via direct delivery.

·         The medicine availability at the CCMDD Service Provider level is at 80.7%.

·         The medicine availability at hospitals is at 83.3%.

·         The medicine availability at clinics (incl. CHCs) is at 89.8%.

Moreover, the district overview of medicine is as follows:

While these figures are not what they should be, the KZN Department of Health noted that a series of interventions have been implemented to resolve the matter. These interventions are as follows:

·         Supplier engagements: Senior Management continues engagements with suppliers.

·         Redistribution of Stock: Ongoing efforts to redistribute stock from facilities with excess to those in need are underway.

·         Emergency Orders: Fast-tracking orders for critical items.

·         Communication: Improving communication with the public and healthcare providers about stock availability and challenges.

·         Facility/ District Support Visits: Increase the frequency of visits to facilities to monitor stock levels and address issues promptly. The depot prioritises issuing of orders for all those facilities that have low stock levels. Weekly district stock status reports collated for monitoring. Districts will be meeting on a weekly basis to discuss medicine availability issues and resolutions. •

·         Monitoring and Reporting: Regular monitoring of stock levels and reporting any discrepancies or issues to the relevant committees.

Furthermore, the Department also highlighted that its Data Sources for Visibility and Monitoring of Medicine Availability, which are as follows:

Stock Visibility Solution (SVS)

·         SVS is a digital tool for monitoring stock levels and is linked to an analytic tool for dashboard. The dashboard assists with monitoring supplies of essential medicines and consumables, supporting end-to-end visibility for last-mile facilities, the clinics. The SVS data feeds into the National Surveillance Centre (NSC) Dashboard.

·         The hospitals mainly use Rx Solution for stock management. The Rx Solution data feeds into the NSC Dashboard. The NSC Dashboard is used in decision making including for redistribution of stock.

·         Improved Medicine Availability Team (IMAT) Hotlist: – This is the list of all essential medicines on contract with stock availability of below 90% and with total orders exceeding supplier stock on hand and total provincial stock on hand less than two months of forecast demand. The list includes the root cause for the supply challenge and proposed remedial actions for each listed item.

Taking the above into consideration and with there being a problem concerning medicine availability in KZN, ActionSA’s Zwakele Mncwango said that ActionSA is now calling on the MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi, to resign following her “deceitful and reckless conduct”.

“She has repeatedly misled the public, gaslit the province, and jeopardised residents’ lives by falsely claiming that there is no medication shortage in public healthcare facilities.For the past week, ActionSA has exposed the dire situation in KZN’s hospitals and clinics, where critical medicines have been unavailable, leaving vulnerable patients without lifesaving treatment. Yet, instead of addressing this crisis with honesty and urgency, the MEC engaged in shameless PR exercises to discredit our evidence—knowing full well that the department was failing to provide essential healthcare services,” emphasised Mncwango.

Additionally, he said that now that the MEC has been forced to admit the truth it is clear that she has broken her constitutional oath, and the code of conduct by failing to act with integrity, honesty and transparency.

“While we acknowledge that budget constraints have strained service delivery, the real issue here is the blatant dishonesty and cover-up by the department’s leadership. Therefore, we call on her to speak to her conscience and step down from office with immediately effect. A leader who lies to the public, disregards the suffering of patients, breaks their oath and manipulates the truth has no place in government,” concluded Mncwango.

As KZN navigates through this medication availability crisis, what are your thoughts on the situation? Please share your views in the comment section below.