An audit report unveiled a staggering loss for Uganda as COVID vaccines and crucial HIV antiretroviral drugs, collectively valued at 28.1 billion Ugandan shillings ($7.3 million; £5.8 million), are set to be withdrawn from health facilities and destroyed. The report, presented to parliament by Uganda’s Auditor General, John Muwanga, highlights the expiration of over 5.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines obtained through a World Bank loan.
An additional concern arises as $8.6 million worth of drugs, primarily HIV antiretroviral drugs, have also expired due to changes in recommended treatment guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The audit report further exposes that the National Medical Stores (NMS) holds a non-viable or expired stock of drugs valued at 33 billion Shillings, indicating a substantial 153% increase from the previous year. Authorities anticipate the total losses from expired COVID-19 vaccines will surpass $78 million by the year’s end.
Moses Kamabare, the head of Uganda’s drug procurement agency, expressed the challenge: “The demand for Covid vaccines is now at zero. We no longer receive any COVID-19 vaccine orders. If we don’t have any people who need them or health facilities requisitioning for these Covid vaccines, we expect more Covid vaccines to expire on us.”
Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, explained in the report that the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines was based on speculation as the pandemic persisted. The government committed conditional grants from the World Bank to manufacturers to produce and deliver vaccines, making halting the process impractical.
Atwine also disclosed that funds from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, have been secured to manage the recovery and destruction of all expired COVID-19 vaccines. Auditor General Muwanga emphasized the need for prudent emergency planning and urged the government to prioritize recovery actions. He also advised the National Medical Stores to align the budget with demand to prevent drug stocking and ensure timely distribution to health facilities.
