Text of report by Evelyn Lirri entitled "Uganda needs more 1,400 pharmacists to dispense drugs - Commissioner" published by leading privately-owned Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor website on 28 August

Uganda needs at least 1,400 pharmacists if it is to reverse the current challenges faced in supplying and regulating the flow of medicinal drugs.

The country currently has about 300 pharmacists countrywide for a population of 30 million people. The acting assistant commissioner for health services in charge of pharmacy in the Ministry of Health, Mr Martin Oteba, yesterday told a conference of health journalists called to discuss Uganda's drug system that a study conducted by the ministry two years ago found that the country needed no less than 5,000 pharmacists.

"The standard is such that we can have as many people being able to access the pharmacist as possible," Mr Oteba said. He said they cannot make every shop a pharmacist but said if they can have an additional 1,100 pharmacists against the 30 million people then that would be good.

Mr Oteba said the human resource problem in the pharmaceutical drug system is exacerbated by the fact that the yearly output of pharmacists from the universities-initially offered by Makerere [University] but lately joined by Mbarara University of Science and Technology has been between 30 and 40 students.

Ms Helen Byomire Ndagije, the head of the drug information department at the National Drug Authority [NDA], said there are currently 198 pharmacies and 3,619 drugs shops licensed to operate countrywide. Pharmacists do the actual dispensing of drugs.

She said one of the challenges faced by NDA is the proliferation of unlicensed drugs into the health care system.