Hardwares in Luwero selling animal medicine

DRUGS   AGRIBUSINESS

LUWERO - A recent operation conducted by the National Drug Authority (NDA) has revealed that farmers in Luwero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola are confronted with an unfamiliar dilemma. Their sick animals are going blind day-by-day after being unsuccessfully vaccinated or treated with more harmful drugs. 

This is happening because the districts are littered with hardware shops, who without proper knowledge, sell veterinary drugs to farmers over the counter.

"People who run hardwares have found out that most farmers cannot afford to hire a veterinary professional to diagnose and prescribe proper medicines, so they have started dispensing and selling drugs, this is sad because most of the drugs are always fake and expired," said Dr Bernard Sibwomu, an inspector at NDA.

Dr Sibwomu noted that as NDA, they have started enforcement operation to improve compliance levels in licensing requirements of drug outlets in the region.

"We have closed over 10 hardwares and 15 fake veterinary drug shops in the region in one week being operated by unqualified personnel which exposes animals to wrong prescription, drug resistance and other health-related complications including death," Sibwomu noted.

During the operation, when ADC animal health in Ngooma village was being closed, most farmers were not happy with the inspectors who were packing their medicines.

"This is one of the best drug shops around, you want our cows to die," said an angry farmer.

Enock Ssentaayi, an inspector at NDA noted that hardwares are meant to sell building materials, not drugs. Drugs are supposed to be stored in licensed and suitable premises, not with cement and nails.

"We come across so many hardwares selling Agrochemicals and animal drugs, but this is wrong because they do not know what they are prescribing. These people have misled farmers for a long time and this has to come to an end," Ssentayi said.

Ssentayi called upon the public to report hardwares selling medicine because if you consume meat treated with wrong products, it comes back in the food chain and affects you.

"If hardwares want to start selling drugs, they should apply for a license and also employ qualified people to run the drug shops. We have a lot of antibiotic resistance in human beings because of such people selling fake products," Ssentayi noted.

NDA licensing guidelines of 2019 state that, drugs shops are supposed to be run by professionals with approved medical pharmaceutical or veterinary qualifications and must be registered with the professional council.