NCOP
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 653
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 25 November 2011
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 39)
Mr D Joseph (DA-WC) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1)
Whether any (a) medication, (b) consumables or (c) equipment have been
destroyed in each province (i) in (aa) 2009 and (bb) 2010 and (ii) from 1
January 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;
if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (aaa) were the reasons
and (bbb) was the value in each case;
(2)
(a) what are the names of each product that was destroyed in each case and
(b) in respect of what treatment were these medications used?
CW803E
REPLY:
The reasons for medication being destroyed are related to change in treatment
regimens receipt of short-dated stock. Medication in emergency trolleys sometimes
expire and hence have to be discarded. Provinces are expected to check medicines
expiry upon receipt of stock from suppliers. If this is not done, then drugs expire and
have to be discarded.
According to our Provincial Departments of Health, the following are the responses to
the questions:
Free State:
(1)
The total value of expired medicine is –
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
(2)
=
=
=
R 1,019,061.84
R 4,917,329.34
R 8,068,932.87
Only a sample of expired medicines is provided due to the high volume of
disposal. A sample list of equipment disposed of and sold since 2009 is also
available.
Gauteng:
(1)
(a)
Expired Medicines & breakages destroyed:
Period
Turnover
Year ending 31 March 2009
Year ending 31 March 2010
Year ending 31 March 2011
Year ending 31 March 2012 to
end October 2011
Equipment
(i)
(aa)
(bb)
Commodity
1, 549, 177, 992
2, 261, 431, 896
2, 666, 262, 368
1, 585, 390, 563.98
Expired
% of
medicines and turnover
breakages
215, 242
0,013
474, 508
0.16
3, 404, 258
0,12
2, 063,644
0,13
(c)
Other
Machinery
Equipment
Other
Machinery
Equipment
Total
(ii)
2009 – None
2010
Classification
(a)
Value
Date
& Major
Scrapping
15 286 000 2010/2011
& Minor
Scrapping
5 184 000 2010/2011
20 470 000
From 1 January 2011 up to the latest specified date for which
information is available
Commodity
Classification
Other Machinery & Major
Equipment
Other Machinery & Minor
Equipment
Total
(2)
Method
Method
Scrapping
Value
511 037.96
Date
22/8/2011
Scrapping
10 485.21
22/8/2011
521 523.17
The medicines are a mixture of tablets, capsules, injections, creams
and ointments used for various conditions. Details are documented and
kept at the various institutions. Such
information is kept and is
available for a period of up to 5 years.
Limpopo:
In Limpopo province, expired Medication and consumables are being destroyed in all
the 3 years 2009, 2010 and in 2011, up to November 2011. Expired medicines are
managed by the manager Quality Assurance at the provincial office. Clinics have to
return expired stock to the hospitals and hospital management has to submit reports
on a quarterly basis through the board of survey to Provincial Pharmaceutical
Services. Expired medicines are only disposed of once permission is granted by the
Head of the Department. The appointed Waste Management service provider is then
instructed to collect the expired stock and dispose of it in the correct manner.
2
Of the 40 hospitals in Limpopo, 23 have already received approval to dispose of
expired stock, and the stock has been lifted up (removed) from facilities by the Waste
Management Company. 8 hospitals are in the process of receiving approval, while
the remaining 9 hospitals are being assisted to get the necessary documentation
required to get approval.
Up to date R1 688 511 total cost of expired medication and consumables has been
disposed of in the 2011/2012 financial year. This may include expired stock from
previous years. Individual names of disposed items would be difficult to know as they
are already disposed. These include medicines, tablets and consumables used for
various kinds of medical conditions, such as medical emergencies (Angina Pectoris,
Myocardial infarcts), as well as surgical conditions.
Mpumalanga:
Mpumalanga have provided a comprehensive list per hospital of medicines,
consumables and equipments that have been destroyed to the estimated value of R
849,791,460.74
Northern Cape:
During the 2009, 2010 and 2011 years the various facilities (hospitals, Community
Health Centres and Primary Health Clinics) have destroyed medication. In most
instances the reasons were due to expired stock and vaccines that were exposed to
extreme weather conditions.
For the above periods the approximate values are as follows:
2009
2010
2011
Approximate total written off:
R 288,221.00
R 651,269.00
R 328,940.00
R 1,268,430.00
Although the amounts are minimal, the list of items is huge. Attached list is a
summary of the Province’s items that were written off during said years. These
products were used to combat chronic diseases, acute infections/conditions and
various other items that form part of the emergency trays of facilities.
NORTHERN CAPE
ITEMS
2011
Amphoteracin B 50mg amps
ITEMS
2010
Spironolactone 25mg 84's
Doxycycline 100mg tabs 14's
Spironolactone 25mg 56's
Benzathine
Penicillin
Folic acid 5mg 100's
1.2MU
Aminophylline
250mg/ml
Promethazine 10mg 500's
amp
Heparin 1000IU amps
Dapsone 100mg tabs
Atropine 0.5mg vial
Hyoscine amps
Polio vial
Gentian violet
Methyl
prednisolone
acetate Beclomethasone aq spray
3
ITEMS
2009
Metronidazole syrup 100ml
Beclomethasone
inhaler
50mg
Metformin 500mg 56's
Phenoxymethylpenicillin
250mg 20's
Biperiden 2mg 56's
Glibenclamide 5mg 28's
Atropine 0.5mg vial
Verapamil inj 2.5mg/ml 2ml
40mg vial
Salbutamol inj 0.5mg
Methyldopa 250mg 84's
Cefalexin 250mg 20's
ketakonazole tabs 200mg
Spironolactone 25mg 84's
Furosemide 40mg tabs 28's
Cimetidine 400mg 60's
Aserbine 50g cream
Propranolol 10mg 56's
Digoxin 0.25mg tabs 28's
Heparin 2500IU 5ml
Thiamine 100mg 100's
Vitamin K 2mg/0.2ml
Doxycycline 100mg tabs
14's
Sod Bicarbonate 8.5%
Clotrimazole vag cream
Albendazole syrup 20ml
50g
Potassium Chloride 15%
Glycerin suppositories 12's amps
Naloxone 0.4mg/ml
Bupivacaine 50mg vials
Betamethasone 4mg inj
Dopamine amps
Adrenaline amps
Griseofulvin 125mg 100's
North West:
(1)
Medication and surgical disposables have been disposed off in the North West
Province in 2009, 2010 and up to September 2011.
Medicines were disposed off because they had exceeded the expiry date.
The value of medicines disposed of is as follows:2009
R1,741,148-75
(2)
2010
R1,795,039-17
2011
R1,681,058-82
Due to limited time for response to this question and the amount of items that
have been disposed off since 2009 to date, the consolidated list from all the
facilities which contains all the items disposed off during the period could not
be compiled in time.
These medications are used for a variety of conditions such as:

Acute conditions such as headache, fever, diarrhoea, respiratory tract
infection

Chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes,
asthma, psychiatric conditions

Inflammatory and musculo-skeletal conditions such as gout, arthritis
conditions.

Injuries such as fractures, wounds, abrasions

Surgical disposables which were disposed off were for the treatment of
the conditions mentioned above.
4
Western: Cape:
(1)
Medication, consumables and equipment were disposed of in each of the
financial years 2009/10, 2010/11 and from 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011.
The equipment was not necessarily destroyed but in some cases, is sold as
equipment and in others as scrap.
(aaa) Medication, consumables and equipment are disposed of because it
has either passed the expiry date, redundant stock, obsolete or broken
making it useless to the department.
(bbb) The values of the items disposed of for the periods as indicated are as
follows:
PERIODS
2009/ 2010
2010/ 2011
01 April to 30
September
2011
(2)
Major
Assets
R80
235
000
R84
738
000
R20
426
000
Minor
Assets
R19
522
000
R23
434
000
R6 282 000
Pharmaceuticals
TOTALS
R4 000
Other
consumables
R397 000
R896 000
R666 000
R109 734 000
R1 350 000
R168 000
R28 226 000
R100 158 000
(a) & (b): Current records do not allow us to determine what products were
disposed of in each case and we are not able to indicate what the products
were used for.
END.
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