A senior Ugandan MP has urged that ordinary citizens take the lead in the fight against drug theft, saying the problem cannot be solved by government agencies alone.
Dr Charles Ayume, who chairs parliament’s Health Committee, said medicine pilferage remains a serious threat to public health despite interventions such as drug embossing, digital tracking, and distribution audits by the Ministry of Health and the National Medical Stores.
Speaking in an interview, the Koboko Municipality legislator argued that the most effective solution lies with communities themselves.
“It starts with the person in the village. It is not President Museveni’s affair or the Minister of Health,” he said.
“Members of the community are the best whistleblowers to tell us where the theft is happening.”
Dr Ayume urged local leaders, village health teams, religious leaders and even boda boda riders to spearhead public sensitisation campaigns.
He said awareness efforts should focus on helping citizens recognise government medicines – which are marked with “UG” and labelled “Not for Sale” – and encouraging them to report misuse.
He suggested radio talk shows, school outreach programmes and village meetings as effective ways to spread the message.
“This cannot be a top-down enforcement approach,” he said. “It must be a people-led movement. Communities must understand that stolen medicine is stolen life.”
