Hospitals hit by shortage in supplies

HEALTHCARE workers across the island are complaining of a shortage in supplies at hospitals, blaming the scarcity and lack of the health ministry's payment arrears with hospital suppliers.
Workers said items in short supply include toilet paper, syringes, blood tubes, personal protective equipment (PPE), bedrolls, gowns, antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors (antacids), and prostate medication.
One healthcare worker said red, purple, and blue top blood tubes, which are critical to the functioning of any healthcare facility, are also short.
"Red is for blood chemistry proxy of kidney or liver function blood glucose levels, crossmatched to determine blood group, HIV test, and syphilis tests to name a few of its functions for the red top tubes. Blue is for PT [prothrombin time], PTT [partial thromboplastin time], and INR [international normalised ratio], which assess the likelihood of a patient bleeding or forming clots. Purple top tubes are for complete blood count, blood film, and CD4 count levels in HIV — those are some of its uses. Without them, it impedes a lot of our work," the healthcare worker said.
Another healthcare worker said the shortages have been ongoing but, if continued, it would severely hamper the fight against a possible fourth wave of COVID-19 and managing the Omicron variant, should it get to our shores.
Further, one healthcare worker at the management level said the shortages are due to the lack of payment to suppliers that the Ministry of Health and Wellness owes millions.
On the condition of anonymity said despite budgetary allocations being made to pay debts, the ministry owes them millions for over a year to the point they have had to stop supplying disposables to the sector.
"You can't be owing me money at 90, 120 days, one year, and there is no interest. It puts me under pressure, and the tax department comes down on you when you owe money and threaten to take you to court. It's horrible," the supplier said.
Another supplier was also mum for fear of losing the contract with the health ministry. Still, she said that the company was owed a very significant amount of money, in the millions.
In responding to the claims at yesterday's held at the Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, there are payment issues with suppliers, which the ministry has to admit and accept. He, however, said they try not to go beyond the 90-day credit period.
"We try to ensure the 60 to 90 days is the maximum wait if there are no discrepancies in payments. Bear in mind that payment takes place at different levels. There are payments done at the regional level, the ministry level, and payments that are done at the agency level like National Health Fund (NHF), depending on what is being procured," Dr Tufton said.
The health minister said payment arrears are usually due to budgeting and cash flow issues.
"When that occurs, we try to resolve them, but I'll be the first to say from time to time we do run into that issue when payments are in arrears up to 90 days and beyond that. [But] we try to keep it within that 60 to 90 day period, and if it gets out of that we try to move in and resolve it as quickly as possible," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Tufton said he would not blame shortages solely on the lack of payment.
"The periodic shortage of any particular item could be due to many things, so I am not challenging a particular case that may arise where they might not have an N95 mask, or they are running low. The efficient delivery of supplies is a function of not just procuring it. It is also the logistics management of the supplies. NHF plays a big role, and the hospitals play a big role," he said.
Tufton added: "Generally speaking, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind the Government has provided the resources when needed to purchase the critical supplies for COVID, whether it is PPE, sanitisers, ventilators. To the extent that any particular hospital or doctor is out, it would normally be a case of managing the situation. We would ask them to report that to the respective authorities at the institutional level. If it needs to be elevated, I am sure their organised groups, associations will elevate that further up. When that happens — as you can see in the past — we're very responsive, we listen. I don't think anybody can doubt that we listen. We listen and try to resolve, and we've had several incidents of tensions, if you will, between perceptions and reality, and we've tried to meet and iron it out whether it is with the nurses, doctors, or otherwise. We will continue to take that posture as it will require all of us to make it work."

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