Public hospitals: Budget reduction in drug supply

The supply of drugs in public hospitals all over the country is bordered by a ten-year agreement between the Department of Public Health and the nonprofit Association “SALAMA”, concluded in 1996. This Association itself takes care of the distribution and management of the delivery of drugs and medical devices ordered by public hospitals, based on a list initially drafted by the ministry.

Compared to last year, the budget allocated by the government to the purchase of drugs for public hospitals has declined sharply from about 3 billion to 1 billion Ariary for this year. Such budget decrease could represent real dangers for patients who cannot afford to buy specialized drugs if a shortage occurs.

In spite of that, officials of the Association “SALAMA” assured that its stocks of drugs remain sufficient for the whole year. However, they cannot supply public hospitals which do not have financial resources. Once the budget allocated by the government is exhausted, hospitals could normally maintain their drug supply from “SALAMA” at least with the self-financing resources that hospitals generally use in critical circumstances.