Essential Medicine Shortages Hit Public Hospitals

Medicine shelves at a public clinic illustrating essential medicine shortages

Essential medicine shortages are forcing South Africa’s public hospitals and clinics to find alternatives or give patients prescriptions to fill at private pharmacies. The National Health Department’s October hotlist flagged 165 products in critically short supply, including treatments for cancer and severe mental illness. Its November master products list includes 1,135 medicines that provinces can procure. Andy Gray, a senior…

Continue reading with a Health Matters subscription

Subscribers read every article in full, receive the daily briefing and have access to the complete archive.

SubscribeLog in