The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, has directed Gasabo district pharmacy to supply Kibagabaga Hospital with all the drugs it needs. This follows an outcry by patients about the lack of essential drugs at the hospital for over a week. The stockout problem was caused by lack of funds from the hospital to pay the district pharmacy.According to the Ministry of Health, the district owes the pharmacy about Rwf300 million accrued from last year’s health insurance scheme."The hospital has not recovered the money meant for the payment of the drugs supplied. This money is collected from health insurance but the hospital had a shortfall so they had not paid; hence the district pharmacy could not supply more drugs,” the PS explained. "But I asked them (pharmacy) to supply the drugs on credit as we sort the issues.”By press time, boxes of drugs had been supplied to the hospital. Ndagijimana said the ministry will also supply more drugs to the hospital which could last two months to avoid more shortages.According to Martha Umutoni and Angele Mwiza, some of the patients affected by the stockout, they were advised to buy prescribed drugs from pharmacies outside the hospital.  "We have been told each time we come here that there are no drugs. This means we are supposed to buy the drugs yet they are expensive,” they noted. "But we are happy with the turn of events now.”