The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health is urging all Ugandans to resort to making home based hand washing solutions or using soap and water to wash hands as the country runs out of manufactured hand sanitizers.
The ministry made the call after several pharmacies in Kampala and supermarkets no longer have any brand of hand sanitizers on their shelves.
In the few places that still have it, the commodities have more than tripled in price as Ugandans rush to procure whatever is left to protect themselves after the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID -19).
Atek Kagirita, the COVID-19 incident manager at the ministry of health says that Ugandans should not be scared due to hand sanitizer shortages because there are other options that are as highly effective.
Researchers recommend the use of a hand sanitizer that contains at least 65 percent of alcohol to clean hands during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks. It is believed that the disease is spread easily when people are exposed to infected droplets through the fingers.
According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to mix 20 liters of hand washing solution, one needs to add 14 tablespoons of 5 percent bleach or one table spoon of calcium hypochlorite grain (chlorine) and wait for thirty minutes before use.
Peter Matanda, the public relations manager at Saraya Manafacturing Uganda Limited, a local producer of hand sanitizer located in Kakira says that they cannot produce enough hand sanitizers to meet the current demand.
Last year during the DRC Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, one liter bottle of Saraya cost between Shs 30,000-40,000. Currently, the same quantity if found goes for as high as Shs 160,000.
Pharmaceutical supply companies that URN visited are also crying foul because they do not have enough supply to meet the current demand. Swarna Garikapati, the branch manager of Abacus Pharmacy on Johnstone Street says that they are out of stock of the sanitizers since Friday last week and they haven’t stocked yet because the producers are having high demand and cannot produce the large quantities that are currently needed at the same time.
Garikapati also says that Abacus Pharmacy does not produce sanitizers at their factory in Nakawa, they also import either from Kenya or India and the cost is high therefore they are trying to sell them at a price that’s affordable to Ugandans. She says that before stock ran out a litter was between shillings 28,000 and 30,000 and could not sell wholesale because they needed to supply everyone and could not take a chance of making a profit in such a situation.
According to the World Health Organization-WHO globally, the world is facing a Personal Protection Equipment – PPE shortage due to many manufacturing countries like China stopping the exportation of equipment like gloves, goggles and facial masks. Dr Michael Ryan, the executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program says that the health agency is working towards availing necessary equipment to all countries in need. They are also talking to China to open its doors and allow exportation of necessary equipment.
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