Health officials steal .5m units of Vitamin A —Akunyili

The government’s pledge is coming on the heels of the disclosure by Dora Akunyili, director-general of NAFDAC that 500,000 units of Vitamin A donated by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) have been stolen by health officials between 1999 and 2006.

She vowed that anyone caught stealing with any drug donated by any international agency would be prosecuted with no option of fine.

Wife of the president Turai Yar’Adua, represented by Patience Jonathan, at the press conference on the outcome of NAFDAC nationwide raid and retrieval of donated high dose vitamin A capsules, Coartem and Mectizan tables, etc from retail drug outlets in Nigeria said the theft of essential drugs such as the highly fortified vitamin A for children, Mectizan, Coartem, Oral rehydration Salt as well as cold chain equipments was a shameful development which must be adequately tackled.

She consequently charged the experts and NAFDAC to as a matter of urgency identify and block "all loop-holes for pilfering Vitamin A, Mectizan, Coartem, Oral rehydration Salt as well as cold chain equipments," so that those who the drugs are meant to serve would be able to access the drugs.

"You as experts must take charge of this responsibility for together, we can do it. All we need is dedication, commitment, integrity and collective effort," she counselled.

For those who regularly pilfer the drugs, Jonathan said "I implore you to have a change of heart in order to give our children a chance for a better life."

Akunyili while explaining the circumstances surrounding the drug theft lamented that "It is a matter of grave concern and morally unacceptable that these capsules donated for free administration to target groups are being stolen, diverted and sold in markets, doctor’s eye clinics, pharmacy stores and patent medicine shops. Like mistletoe, some fraudulent health workers have suddenly glued to any available money-spinning government supply under the guise of ‘breaking even or making ends meet’. Must we break even or make ends meet by mortgaging the lives of future generations of Nigeria children?"

She said the agency was "digging beneath the rubbles of smokes and ashes to fish out those involved in this dastardly act by tracing from the sales outlets to source. We shall no longer accept fines. Henceforth, offenders will be apprehended and prosecuted. The publicity that will greet such arrests can best be imagined."

"It is known fact that criminals are more embarrassed by negative publicity than any other sanction. In this case we shall combine both. Having spent so much money, energy and time sending out warning signals, ignorance will no longer be admitted as an excuse, "I no know no dey o," she warned.

"We all have a role to pay in ensuring that this dastardly act is stamped out. We cannot allow criminals to mortgage the future of this great nation", she appealed.

Akunyili said about 1,500 outlets visited by NAFDAC officers and 3,000 bottles of high dose Vitamin A capsules were recovered. Others stolen commodities recovered she disclosed included about 11,130 tablets of Coartem, 10,004 tablets of Mectizan and un-estimated quantities of ORS, Albendazole and medical devices.

"Coartem produced through the Global Fund for Malaria controls were also discovered on the shelves of some drug outlets. Apart from being the most expensive anti-malaria drug in the market today, it is also the most effective. Donor countries give these drugs free so that our children can survive the scourge of malaria which contributes 25 per cent of under-five morality in Nigeria.

ORS the NAFDAC boss said "is another ‘fast moving line’ (to use the traders’ language!). Diarrhoea result in 20 per cent of under-five deaths in Nigeria because lot water is lot during diarrhoea, ORS is given to replace the lost fluid. Some of the shops screened by NAFDAC had their shelves flooded with ORS sachets even though such sachets had UNICEF logo visibly printed on them."

"The vaccine carriers and cold boxes used in carrying and maintaining vaccines at between +2 to +8 degree centigrade until needed for immunization are also one of the essential commodities. The cold boxes and vaccine carriers bearing the international EPI labels, are actually vaccine coolers but now used by our brothers and sisters in selling pure water and soft drinks. How do we expect immunization campaign and routine immunization to work in Nigeria when the storage devices are being stolen and diverted for pure water and soft drink business?", she asked rhetorically.