02/11/2026
Access to essential medicines matters, Mntase! 💊 Reliable medicine availability means better treatment, healthier communities and fewer interruptions in care. If your medication is unavailable, speak to your healthcare provider about the next steps. Your health comes first! 💙
NORTH WEST HEALTH ON EFFORTS TO IMPROVE MEDICINE AVAILABILITY INTENSIFIED
The North West Department of Health continues to implement targeted interventions to improve medicine availability across healthcare facilities in the province amid ongoing national and provincial supply constraints. During the second quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year, provincial medicine availability declined from 84% to 81%, largely due to medicine stockouts and supply disruptions.
The Department has prioritised this matter through a dedicated medicine availability turnaround strategy and pharmacist-led interventions, with progress monitored regularly.
The latest district update shows encouraging improvements in Bojanala District, where the availability of vital medicines increased from 78% last week to 80% this week. Availability of epilepsy medicines improved from 70% to 75%, while contraceptive availability increased from 71% to 73%. Further improvement in contraceptive availability is anticipated over the coming weeks. Availability of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines, tuberculosis (TB) medicines and vaccines remained unchanged in the latest reporting period.
Commenting on the interventions, North West Health MEC Sello Lehari, said: “The availability of medicines is fundamental to delivering quality healthcare and ensuring that patients receive the treatment they need. We recognise the concerns experienced by patients and healthcare professionals when medicines are unavailable. We are therefore intensifying our efforts to strengthen medicine availability through improved stock monitoring, the redistribution of available medicines between facilities, engagement with suppliers, and the prioritisation of payments to suppliers whose accounts have been placed on hold. Our focus is to ensure that available resources are used effectively and that facilities experiencing the greatest challenges receive the necessary support.”
The Department’s turnaround plan includes accelerating medicine distribution from depots to hospitals, allocating constrained stock equitably, conducting regular medicine availability meetings and assigning clear responsibilities and timeframes for corrective action.
The Department is also pursuing clinically appropriate alternative medicines where necessary, reviewing facility stock levels according to patient numbers and disease profiles, and monitoring supplier performance. These interventions are intended to mitigate supply disruptions while strengthening the management of medicines across all levels of care.
Furthermore, the Department notes that medicine supply constraints affecting the management of chronic non-communicable diseases are being experienced nationally. While these challenges require coordinated action across the health sector, healthcare professionals are advised to consider actual local stock levels when determining quantities to prescribe or dispense, particularly where routine multi-month dispensing could place additional pressure on limited supplies.
Patients are urged to consult their nurses, pharmacists or doctors if their prescribed medicines are unavailable, so that appropriate alternatives or collection arrangements can be considered. Patients should not stop or change their treatment without professional medical advice.
MEC Lehari reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to improving medicine availability and strengthening the reliability of the provincial medicine supply chain. “We will continue working with national health authorities, suppliers, pharmacy teams and healthcare facilities to address supply challenges and monitor progress.,” said MEC Lehari.
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