EDITORIAL: Investigate importation of substandard bed nets

The Ministry MINISTRY of Health on Monday attributed a recent rise in malaria incidence to use of substandard bed nets that were imported into the country in 2013. Health minister Dr Agnes Binagwaho is quoted as saying that the three million ‘insecticide-treated’ bed nets are less efficient because they do not have enough medicine to kill mosquitoes. The bed nets, supplied by Netprotect, were certified by the World Health Organisation, but a study by the ministry found them deficient, according to the minister. This is a blow to otherwise commendable efforts in the fight against malaria and an indictment on the Rwanda Standards Board and the Ministry of Health, which failed to detect the defect at the initial stages of the procurement exercise. As a result, millions of Rwandans were exposed to malaria, one of the leading killer diseases on the continent. Therefore, it’s not enough for the ministry to say they are going to sue the supplier and ask for a refund. How were substandard mosquito nets cleared to enter the country in the first place? Aren’t RSB and Health ministry officials supposed to inspect, test and certify the standard of medical supplies before they are imported into the country? The revelation only raises more questions than it answers; the public deserves explanation on how defective bed nets were imported into the country. That’s the least concerned officials can do at the moment; to give a proper account of what exactly happened and why? With each net going for $5, the country also lost over Rwf10 billion (at the current exchange rate of 710 per US dollar) in procurement alone – besides other costs. Apart from suing the supplier, a thorough investigation is needed to rule out cases of connivance possibly involving those responsible for procurement and inspection of the nets.

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EDITORIAL: Investigate importation of substandard bed nets