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On Saturday (March 15), ten individuals were apprehended as part of an extensive crackdown carried out by the National Drug Authority (NDA) in Kampala. During this operation, official medications and manipulated diagnostic equipment were seized.
A combined force of NDA personnel and police raided several stores on Wilson Street downtown and seized over 40 crates filled with pharmaceuticals meant for the government, such as antiretrovirals (ARVs) and HIV test kits.
They additionally seized mislabeled malaria and HIV test kits.
It is recommended that people should avoid using an HIV testing kit once it has exceeded its expiry date, since this could lead to incorrect and untrustworthy results.
The reliability and precision of HIV tests, particularly quick diagnostic tools, may diminish with age, resulting in incorrect positive or negative outcomes.
'Illegal'
The operation in Kampala took place during the early hours of Saturday.
"Multiple diagnostic tools for HIV and malaria were discovered to have had their expiration dates altered, effectively prolonging their shelf life," stated Abiaz Rwamiri, who serves as the NDA public relations manager.
"Tampering with expiry dates of diagnostic kits is not only illegal but also dangerous, as it hampers medical treatment, giving unreliable results which makes it difficult for doctors to prescribe the right medication," he told New Vision .
In the worst-case scenario with HIV, this could lead to an increased transmission of the virus and may subject certain individuals to unnecessary treatment because of a false positive result.
Recent arrests
In early March, an NDA enforcement team apprehended seven individuals who were illegally selling drugs at open marketplaces in Bukhaweka and Butilu within Namisindwa district, as well as in Arapai located in Soroti city.
The suspects were discovered openly showcasing, peddling, and promoting medicines in direct sunlight, enduring intense heat.
A total of eleven boxes containing various medications, such as ARVs, antimalarial drugs, HIV test kits, veterinary medicines, and unapproved herbal remedies, were seized.
In March, NDA complied with a court order to donate 64,800 ARV doses they had seized in November. These medications were originally stolen from Kamuli Hospital.
The directive was handed down by the Head Magistrate at the Makindye Utilities Court.
The NDA transferred all antiretroviral drugs to the Kayunga Regional Hospital, which was responsible for distributing them across the six districts: Luwero, Kayunga, Buikwe, Mukono, Nakasongola, and Buvuma.
▪️ ; Kayunga Hospital gets more than 64,000 doses of seized antiretroviral drugs.
The suspects comprised Ronald Kibalya Nditusawa, a healthcare provider at Kamuli Hospital, who was apprehended carrying 12 boxes holding 720 tin containers of ARVs (totaling 64,800 doses). These antiretroviral medications were evidently designated for governmental use by Uganda and were marked as non-sale items.
Previously, he was said to be distributing them for sale in Nansana within the Wakiso district.
Kibalya was detained alongside Moses Mwesigwa, Walter Bwambale, and Godfrey Mumbere when they allegedly attempted to transport the illicit narcotics from a sedan.
When these crucial arrests took place, NDA stated that they had retrieved stolen government drugs valued at more than 2.5 billion shillings.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
