South hospital gets supply of drugs

THE San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) yesterday received a supply of vital drugs that were in short supply for the past three months.  The supply of just over 100 boxes were delivered hours after the chief pharmacist at the hospital’s dispensary, Leaflet Ryan, met with Minister of Health Colm Imbert yesterday. The hospital’s dispensary has been without vital drugs to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy and heart ailments. Pharmacists have been forced to turn away patients seeking drugs, which were prescribed by doctors both at the hospital wards and at the outpatient clinic. The shortage forced the pharmacists to issue a public statement last week on the chronic shortage.

Ryan, when contacted yesterday, declined to disclose the purpose of the meeting which Newsday learnt was privately conducted between the Minister and the chief pharmacist. A source from the ministry told Newsday, however, that the drugs, mostly tablets, were a two-week supply of vital medication for which the hospital’s dispensary had been lacking for over three months.