Authorities in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State, last Wednesday shut down eight health facilities that lacked qualified pharmacists and were found to be selling prohibited drugs.
This move comes in response to numerous complaints from citizens who have faced difficulties accessing healthcare at private pharmacies.
Dr. Manal Mohamed Wathadalla, the Administrative Director of Pharmacies and chairperson for screening of privately owned health facilities, explained the rationale behind the closures, saying, “We are informing our citizens that we have launched screening, and we have now been at it for two weeks. Our operation started from Suq-Hajar, where we visited nine pharmacies to understand whether they were following all the regulations of pharmacies and adhering to relevant operations. We closed three on the same day.”
Dr. Wathadalla further noted, “We found some pharmacies run by students of the university and others by graduates from colleges of education or agriculture. We closed down five on the same day.”
In addition to the closures, tramadol tablets were removed from the pharmacies visited. Dr. Wathadalla clarified, “We have removed tramadol tablets from the pharmacies that we visited, including capsules and injectables. We brought them to the ministry because we had a plan in place before we started. We sat down with the minister and the director general to establish new guidelines.”
She assured the public that the collected tramadol would be stored strategically and dispensed to patients in accordance with agreed-upon plans.
Dr. Wathadalla urged citizens to assist the team by reporting any pharmacies selling illegal drugs, stating, “What I want to tell citizens is that they should help us with information. We are now working for the citizens. We started with pharmacies and will continue to clinics and also address cosmetic and skin-bleaching creams. However, this requires a joint effort.”
Furthermore, she called upon all pharmacies in Wau town to approach the ministry to obtain legal operation licenses, emphasizing the importance of compliance with regulations. “In our visits, we found that some of the pharmacies do not have licenses or have not renewed them. I am urging all pharmacy owners to come forward and acquire them to avoid becoming victims of legal violations. Let them approach the ministry, and we will provide them,” she added.
Responding to the closure of pharmacies, Ibrahim Nawar Serfadin, one of the affected pharmacy owners in Suq Abdallatif in Wau town, acknowledged the challenges but noted that some of the reasons for the closures were in line with legal provisions.
He said, “There were some challenges we faced following the Ministry of Health’s order. Rajaha was closed because we lacked an air propeller, injection syringes, and sanitation. We are not upset about the closure; this is the law. We are still in the process of acquiring the air propeller, and we do not sell tramadol to the youth.”
Regarding the pharmacy’s legal status, Serfadin clarified, “My pharmacy is licensed and I have all the required documents. The ministry has not raised any issues about this. The concern is primarily about the air propeller, which is necessary to control temperature for drug safety.”
Another affected pharmacy worker, Agoth Manyiel, explained, “I am working as a pharmacist while also pursuing a pharmacy degree as a student. They closed the pharmacy without engaging with us or asking about our license. They called us to the Ministry of Health and informed us about the need for licenses and qualified staff to work in the pharmacy.”
He added, “We are here to help people, and that is why we study drugs. What we are doing here is consistent with what they are studying in our colleges.”