Curb Theft of Drugs

The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)

26 May 2011

editorial

The theft of drugs meant for distribution to public health facilities by the Medical Stores Department (MSD) is cause for grave concern.It is thus not surprising that the department has been pleading for public assistance to curb this particularly obnoxious form of pilfering of public property.

Most of the stolen drugs end up in private pharmacies, where they are sold at a tidy profit for the crooks, and at the expense of millions of people, particularly in the rural areas.Drugs distributed by the MSD are heavily subsidised to make them affordable to the poor. Their availability is a matter of life and death to those who cannot afford drugs sold at pharmacies and other private outlets.

This is why we reiterate the MSD’s appeal for public support to ensure that all drugs distributed by the department reach the targeted end-users.The drugs are stolen through an elaborate network. The possibility of some crooked MSD staff being involved in the racket cannot be ruled out.While it is very much in order for the MSD to seek the public’s cooperation to nail the culprits, we feel it is time the department embarked on a thorough campaign to rid itself of undesirable elements.

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