Drug Theft and Pilferage in Malawi on the decline as Government and Stakeholders take action

With funding from Bill and Melinda Gates through Advocacy for Vaccines (AVAC), JONEHA is working to hold those accountable for the theft of drugs from health facilities.

Mwanza

Malawi: The Network of Journalists Living with HIV (JONEHA) is monitoring the issue of persistent drug stockouts in Malawi, specifically focusing on the financing of procurement of drugs and drug theft and pilferage by engaging relevant stakeholders, writes Meclina Chirwa.

With funding from Bill and Melinda Gates through Advocacy for Vaccines (AVAC), JONEHA is working to hold those accountable for the theft of drugs from health facilities.

According to the government, cases of drug theft and pilferage have decreased since the introduction of the Drug Theft Investigation Unit (DTIU).

The majority of Malawians access health services from government-owned facilities, which are often affected by challenges including drug stockouts.

Drug stock-outs are attributed to various factors, including drug theft and pilferage.

Recently, JONEHA organized a stakeholder meeting to follow up on progress made in addressing drug theft and pilferage.

During the meeting, it was revealed that the government has made strides in reducing cases of drug theft. Head of DTIU, Davis Tembo, said, “The situation has improved since the establishment of the Drug Theft Investigation Unit. Cases have gone down because many people have realized the dangers of drug theft. Those who are found on the other side of the law are arrested to serve jail.”

Hastings Mwanza of JONEHA explained, “We realized that drug theft and pilferage is one of the issues that negatively affect the availability of drugs in health facilities, which leads to persistent drug stockouts. We learned that there are so many factors affecting drug stockouts, such as insufficient funding to Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST), the inability of district hospitals to procure drugs from private pharmacies when CMST is out of stock and one of the factors is drug theft and pilferage. So that is why we came to a conclusion of engaging different stakeholders on the issue of drug theft and pilferage.”

Despite the government's efforts to address the issue of drug theft and pilferage, reports indicate that in 2017, at least 1.5 billion Kwacha worth of drugs and medical supplies were stolen in the 2016–2017 financial budget, with 125 people arrested in connection with the malpractice.

However, JONEHA notes that the landscape is changing due to the efforts being made to address the issue of drug theft and pilferage by the DTIU.

The DTIU has continued to investigate and prosecute drug theft and pilferage cases, even in the face of inadequate funding.

Overall, it is clear that while the problem of drug theft and pilferage in Malawi is still a concern, significant progress has been made in recent years to address the issue and hold those responsible accountable.

The efforts of organizations like JONEHA, with funding from Bill and Melinda Gates, are helping to bring about positive changes in the availability of drugs in health facilities.