Health minister Kalumbi Shangula has blamed the Public Procurement Act for the egregious lack of medicines and clinical supplies in public health facilities.
Shangula was questioned on the matter by Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Elma Dienda in early November.
Shangula on Thursday in the National Assembly said that the Public Procurement Act requires the ministry to submit a procurement plan to the ministry of finance, outlining pharmaceuticals and clinical supplies required by national public health facilities.
The submitted plan is followed by a procurement process managed by the Central Procurement Board. The process which involves bid evaluations, reconsiderations and performance agreements can take up to 12 months to conclude.
“It has become clear that the implementation of the Public Procurement Act, Act 15 of 2015, has significantly impacted the availability of medicines and clinical supplies. The procurement of medicines in Namibia has become a lengthy and cumbersome process,” he said in today’s national assembly sitting.
Earlier this year, Shangula said that five of the ministry’s bids have been with the board since 2017.
Shangula noted that these delays and lengthy processes have forced the ministry to do emergency procurement at a high cost.
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