The state of pharmacies in Kalemie raises serious concerns. According to Tanganyika’s provincial health minister, Bob Morisho, most pharmacies do not meet the required standards. During a field visit, the minister was confronted with deplorable storage conditions, with dust, mixing of pharmaceutical products and food, and total confusion in the organization. In addition, some medications were poorly stored and expired, which represents a real danger for patients’ health.
The situation is alarming, with medicines stored near the roof, exposed to dust and rodents. The minister stressed that not only does this compromise the effectiveness of medicines, but it can also turn them into poison. He also recovered expired medicines that the sellers continued to distribute to the population.
Faced with this worrying situation, the provincial minister wants the pharmacist inspector to be able to request support from the public prosecutor’s office in order to seal non-compliant pharmacies. A necessary approach to guarantee the safety and quality of medicines distributed to the population.
It is essential to enforce quality and hygiene standards in pharmacies to ensure the reliability of treatments and the protection of patients. This situation also highlights the importance of raising awareness among pharmacy owners about good medicine management and storage practices.
It is now crucial to act quickly to remedy this worrying situation and guarantee access to quality medicines for the population of Kalemie. Collaboration between health authorities, healthcare professionals and pharmacy owners is essential to improve the situation and ensure patient safety.