FDA destroys GH400,000 expired drugs in Tamale

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has destroyed some expired assorted drugs kept at the warehouse of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).

The over GHS400,000 worth of drugs, have been in the stores since 2009, posing a challenge to the staff in terms of storing new drugs to cater for over a million patients that visit their facility.

The two-day exercise was carried out with the support of the internal audit unit of the hospital and the FDA. It was aimed at protecting the patients who patronise the services of the hospital.

Information gathered from the hospital indicates that the last time expired products from the facility were destroyed was in 2009 and was supervised by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

The internal audit unit of the hospital is normally invited to verify the batch numbers and any other information. Per protocol, the expired drugs are moved to a quarantined area at the facility with the support of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).

The Northern Regional Director of the FDA, Mr Martin Kusi, who disclosed this to the B&FT, said the former authority found a lot of expired medicines at the hospital during the investigations and that arrangements were made for their safe disposal.

“The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Dr Prosper Akambong, wrote to the FDA on May, 18, 2017 to take inventory of those expired medicines at the facility and ensure the safe disposal of the expired and unwholesome medicines at their warehouse to get those drugs destroyed,” he stated.

Mr Kusi explained that the authority had to follow administrative procedures, including taking inventory of the expired drugs after completing the audit of the expired drugs by the internal audit of the hospital to ensure safe disposal.

This, he said, forms part of the routine exercise made by the authority to ensure only quality drugs and food are sold to the consumers.

The Regional Director said the FDA has been collaborating with the hospitals in the region to ensure the drugs administered to the patients are of good quality for safe consumption.