NDA partners with Mbarara hospital to improve reporting of adverse drug reaction

Mbarara, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Drug Authority-NDA has partnered with Mbarara Regional referral hospital to report Adverse Drug Reactions.

Adverse Drug effects can occur as a result of contamination during transportation or storage, poor prescription, counterfeit products, and allergies.

In 2019, the National Pharmacovigilance Center received 603 reports of adverse drug reactions. Of these 60 percent came from the central region, nine percent from West Nile, eight percent from the Western, and eight percent from the Eastern region.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign on Saturday at Bwizibwera Health Center, the NDA Spokesperson Abias Rwamwiri said that despite the authority being mandated to regulate drugs and their supply chain, their mandate is being challenged by competition of the black market.

He said, “there are people who use shortcuts to bring drugs into the market that we cannot look at their quality, safety, and efficacy, and because theirs have not gone through regulatory bodies they have unique features and are usually cheap, so we get to know about these unauthorized products through peers and after they have affected a person”.

He noted that the purpose of the campaign is to also weed out such drugs and prevent adverse effects of drugs even those that have been approved by the Authority.

He commended Mbarara regional referral hospital and Bwizibwera Health Centre IV for supporting NDA in reporting the adverse drug reaction through the pharmacovigilance system.

Dr. Francis Oriokot the Deputy Director of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital said the work of lower health facilities affects the work of the regional level facilities, noting that the campaign is going to make deeper the corporation which will yield better results.

Dr. Richard Atuhaire, the in-charge of Bwizibwera Health Centre IV said the health center registered 163 adverse drug reaction cases in the last year and registered one death noting that they have omitted themselves to follow up with their patients and also asked them to report back immediately in case of anything.

He expressed confidence in his staff for being smart, cooperative, and knowledgeable and making a priority in reporting the side effects of drugs that have seen the center become the epicenter of improving pharmacovigilance in the whole country.

Simon Arinaitwe, the Bwizibwera Town Council District representative asked NDA and the referral hospital to engage the Village health teams who are closer to the people in the communities to report such cases if the campaign is to be a success.

The national drug Authority donated equipment worth five million shillings including; 8 Blood pressure machines, 4 weighing scales, and 4 pulse machines to improve the health service at the Bwizibwera health center IV.

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