The National Drug Authority (NDA) found more government medicines and medical supplies at Akfranc Medicines, a private pharmacy in Kitgum owned by Robert Akena, a pharmacy technician at Kitgum General Hospital.
On Monday, the NDA stormed Akfranc Medicines and recovered classified medicines and machines valued at 700 million. On Tuesday, officials from NDA stormed Unyama Trading Center in Gulu City, following a tip-off that Akena had another clinic there.
Abiaz Rwamwiri, NDA spokesperson, said they found 50 more boxes of stolen medicine and medical supplies.
Rwamwiri said that during the two days of operations, they found an oxygen concentrator and its parts, kidney cups, a portable autoclave, a digital baby scale, an instrument trolley donated by USAID, drip stands, a bone operation set, six surgical trays, and two digital thermometers, among other things.
He explained that the NDA recovered over 120 boxes of drugs and medical equipment worth more than Shs1 billion from Akena’s drug shops alone.
Rwamwiri wondered how Kitgum general hospital lost all those drugs without management notice. He said the two drug shop attendants who were found in the Kitgum and Gulu drug shops are in police custody and will remain there until the authorities decide otherwise.
Rwamwiri said that the two suspects will be charged with illegally having controlled substances in violation of the NDA Act and with illegally having government property in violation of section 316 of the Penal Code Act.
Thomas Ojok, the Senior Administrator of Kitgum Government Hospital, says the entire team that was working in the medicine store should step aside until investigations are completed.
Ojok was upset about the theft that was found at the hospital, but he said that it was because past workers didn’t have good internal control systems.
Hajj Marijan Walire, the Kitgum Deputy Resident District Commissioner, said that they got information that Akena was supplying a number of districts in the Acholi Sub-Region with stolen medical supplies. Walire said they are going to do investigations beyond those who have been arrested, and anyone who falls within the racket will be arrested and punished.