Residents run out of chronic medication after looting

RESIDENTS at Kirkwood Gardens in Greyville, who rely on chronic medication, are concerned about access to refill their prescriptions after their local pharmacy was destroyed during recent unrest.

Resident, Teresa Moriarty (right) said she is running low on her chronic medication while others in her housing complex have only a few days of medication left.

“Addington Hospital patients in our community collect their medication from a Greyville pharmacy, but it was closed due to vandalism,” she said.

As pensioners, without medical aid, Moriarty and other residents cannot collect medication at other pharmacies.

“It’s terrible hanging in the air especially being on chronic meds when you don’t have much left,” she said.

Also read: WATCH: Rampant looting across Durban

Looting of pharmacies was condemned in a joint statement by the South African Pharmacy Council, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC), South African Nursing Council (SANC) and the National Department of Health.

Also read: Acting Health Minister addresses impact of KZN unrest on vaccination process

“The impact of the destruction on public health is already being felt in communities, with members of the community deprived of health care, chronic patients unable to access medicines, and Covid-19 vaccine sites and the vaccines themselves being lost to destruction and looting. We further fear that the availability of controlled substances and medicines which have been looted or stolen in the affected communities may endanger the health of community members who may consume these without the supervision and guidance of health care professionals. We would like to urge the public to not utilise any medicines that are not accessed through authorised health care institutions. You may report such illegal activity to SAHPRA or to law enforcement agencies SAHPRA may be contacted as follows: mokgadi.fafudi@sahpra.org.za,” read the statement.

The KZN Health Department and Addington Hospital did not send their comments at the time this article was published.