Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA) has said the prevalence of fake and substandard drugs had been reduced to the barest minimum in all public health facilities across the state.
The director-general of the agency, Gali Sule, who disclosed this during an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, said the agency was able to curtail the issue of fake and substandard drugs since it began the implementation of the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) scheme.
He said the scheme allows the agency to deal directly with over 80 registered manufacturers and suppliers who participated in an annual procurement process to ensure high-quality drugs and consumables are made available at the facilities.
According to him, the state procured the drugs with small markup addition for sustainability, sell to facilities where they in return sell to patients.
While lamenting how the state used to be a dumping ground for fake and substandard drugs making it number two, after Anambra, Pharm. Sule said DRF had to curtail the menace, improve drug availability and accessibility as well as improve the quality of care to the people.
“Prior to the implementation of the Drug Revolving Fund Scheme, Kano state had a significant problem with fake and substandard drugs, with approximately 70% of circulated drugs being either fake or substandard. However, since the implementation of the scheme, the agency has been able to curtail this issue, ensuring that only standard drugs are available in public health facilities.
“No facility by law is allow to buy drugs From anywhere apart from this Agency and we here deal directly with the manufacturers and major importer that are registered with the relevant regulatory agencies,” he added.
He said when the new government came on board, stockout rate was as high as 70 percent but as at September, the stock out rate has dropped to 3.4 percent with availability rate at 96.6 percent, a feat he pointed out was achieved through the commitment of the state commissioner of health and the governor in the health sector.
