Listen to this article
By Rorisang Modiba
- The Health Department says a change in a medicine’s colour, shape or packaging does not mean its ingredients or effectiveness have changed.
- Spokesperson Foster Mohale said public clinics use several approved suppliers, so patients may receive different brands of the same medicine.
The Health Department says patients who notice their medicine looks different, or are told their usual brand is out of stock, should not assume there is a shortage or that their treatment has changed.
Spokesperson Foster Mohale said the department issued the reassurance after concerns were raised in several provinces about medicines appearing unavailable, and patients receiving medication that looked different from what they had received before.
“A change in the colour, shape, packaging or manufacturer of a medicine does not mean that the medicine itself has changed,” Mohale said.
Public clinics and hospitals buy medicine from several approved suppliers that all meet the same safety and quality standards. Mohale said this means patients may receive the same medicine from a different manufacturer at different times, even though the active ingredients, strength and effectiveness stay the same.
The reassurance follows a public dispute over medicine and dialysis supply shortages at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital in July. The Gauteng Health Department said supply delays affecting dialysis patients were temporary and managed without cancelling treatment, while the Democratic Alliance said patients had gone without essential medicine due to unpaid suppliers. The two sides have not agreed on what happened.
Mohale said a reported shortage does not always mean a patient cannot get treatment. A specific brand or pack size may be temporarily out of stock while an equivalent medicine remains available, and healthcare workers can provide an appropriate alternative to continue a patient’s treatment without interruption.
He said supply can be affected by manufacturing problems, global shortages of raw materials, higher international demand, transport delays and changes in procurement contracts.
The department monitors medicine stock through its National Surveillance Centre and the Stock Visibility System, which is designed to flag possible supply problems early so provinces, facilities, suppliers and regulators can act before patients are affected.
Patients worried about a medicine that looks different are encouraged to speak to a doctor, pharmacist or nurse to confirm it is the correct medication.
Pictured above: [no image provided]
Image source: [no image provided]
