DOH responds to claims some independent pharmacies still unpaid for COVID-19-related services

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Health has responded to accusations that it still hasn't paid some independent pharmacies for COVID-19-related services.

The department confirmed that 28 pharmacies had not yet been paid for administering COVID-19 vaccinations four years ago. 

In a statement, it said it’s likely that the reason for non-payment lay in the hands of the pharmacies.

An inundated Health Department solicited the services of independent pharmacies to administer over seven million vaccines. 
 
Left in the lurch, the independent pharmacies were forced to continue operating without the money owed to them. 
 
In response, the department acknowledged the pivotal role played by the healthcare businesses.

However, it stated numerous reasons for the delay, which include the inaccurate capturing of vaccinations, incorrect intervals between doses, unverified vaccinators working at multiple sites, and the extraction of a seventh dose from COVID-19 vaccine vials using specialised low dead space syringes, which is a practice not approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority or the department itself.