Uganda To Destroy Covid Vaccines Worth $7.3m Purchased Through Loans

By Frank Kamuntu

An audit report has revealed that Covid vaccines valued at 28.1 billion Ugandan shillings ($7.3 million; £5.8 million) are set to be withdrawn from health facilities and subsequently destroyed.

The report shows that over 5.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, acquired through a World Bank loan by the Ugandan government, have expired.

The Audit Report

• According to the report submitted to parliament on Tuesday by Uganda’s Auditor General, John Muwanga, an additional concern arises as drugs amounting to $8.6 million, primarily HIV antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), have also expired due to changes in recommended treatment guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• The audit report further reveals that the National Medical Stores (NMS) holds a non-viable or expired stock of drugs valued at 33 billion Shillings, marking a substantial 153%  increase from the previous year.
• Authorities anticipate that the total losses resulting from expired COVID-19 vaccines will surpass a staggering $78 million by the year’s end.
• Moses Kamabare, the head of Uganda’s drug procurement agency, expressed the challenging scenario, stating,“
• 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 that need 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 emphasised the need for prudent planning in emergencies and urged the government to prioritise recovery actions while advising the National Medical Stores to align the budget with demand to prevent drug stocking and ensure timely distribution to health facilities.

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