As his board of 20 members, which is also the biggest among government agencies, Health Minister, Jane Ruth Aceng, said considering the challenges of endless litigation and intrigue within the entity, she has appointed a lawyer to the board to guide them on the challenges that keep arising.
Dr.
Merdard Bitekyerezo has been sworn in for his second term as the National Drug
Authority (NDA) Board Chairperson, making him the first person to stay longer
in that position.
However, his second
three year term hasn’t come easy. Early this
month, some staff from the Authority to block the renewal of Bitekyerezo’s
contract, saying he was running the drug body as his personal business.
Bitekyerezo
acknowledged the numerous cases of litigation, but said they have reduced since he took
over as NDA board chair.
//Cue in: “Emisango egiri mu court ….
Cue out: …. Egenda ekendeera”. //
As his board of 20 members, which is also the
biggest among government agencies, Health Minister, Jane Ruth Aceng, said
considering the challenges of endless litigation and intrigue within the entity,
she has appointed a lawyer to the board to guide them on the challenges that
keep arising.
//Cue in: “Why bad people …
Cue out: … for you chairman”. //
Aceng urged the new board members who are drawn
from various health entities including Uganda AIDS Commission, Herbalists, Chemotherapeutic
laboratory and pharmaceutical society to ensure cohesion, saying she doesn’t need
traitors on the board.
She said she had been sued by the pharmaceutical society
over the choice of person she considered as
representative to the board.
//Cue in: “I want to ….
Cue out: …. Stop drug theft,”//
The outgoing board reported that they conducted
field operations in the last three year where they managed to confiscate government
branded drugs from private pharmacies worth over a billion Shillings.
Bitekyerezo
promised to complete the laboratory tower, which is under construction in his
new term.
//Cue in: “I want to complete …..
Cue out: ….. as much as possible,”//
Aceng said of one the area that needs urgent
attention is drug expiries as 1% of procured drugs are lost annually partly
because they come in when their shelf life is almost ending.
She said the Authority
needs to come up with a plan of accepting drugs from donor with a long shelf
life.
The
other board members are Moses Kamabare, the MD National Medical Stores,
Dr. Nelson Musoba from Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr. Byarugaba Baterena, the
Executive Director Mulago National Referral hospital, Pokoyo Fadhiru Kamba from
the School of Pharmacy Makerere, Mukwaya Jamilu, the representative of National
Herbalists Association, Maj. Ambrose Musinguzi, the Chief of Medical Services
UPDF, Nevil Oteba, Commissioner Pharmacy Ministry of Health, Hussein Oria,
Uganda Pharmaceutical Society, Dr. Bildard Baguma, Joint Medical Stores, Anna
Rose Okurut, Commissioner Animal Health Ministry of Agriculture and Grace
Kyeyune Nambatya, the Natural Chemotherapeutic Research Lab among others.
