Public health experts working part time for the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) are encrypting their reports in a bid to force the agency to pay them outstanding earnings before it can access their work, reports the Sunday Times.
External evaluators on technical committees assessing new medicines are angry about not being paid for several months by SAHPRA.
“Some of us haven’t been paid since April, and despite promises to resolve the matter nothing has really changed,” said one expert who asked that his identity be withheld. “We don’t know whether the regulator has cash-flow problems, if it is bankrupt or if it’s just a case of incompetence.”
The experts said they had heard of colleagues quitting, while others were password-protecting their work until SAHPRA paid them.
The Sunday Times quotes SAHPRA spokesperson Yuven Gounden as saying there had been “technical glitches” with the new payroll system. “We are aware of specific cases where external evaluators were either not paid for certain months or not paid the full amount. SAHPRA is addressing these matters.”
Gounden said some had threatened to resign. “They have been engaged by SAHPRA to resolve the issues.”
But one expert said SAHPRA’s work was suffering. “You can imagine that pharmaceutical companies are submitting applications for medicine registrations, and those have to be evaluated. It’s the external evaluators who have to do that, but if they are reluctant to take up more work. who is going to do all of that now?” the source said.
TimesLIVE article – Sahpra experts fed up over pay delays (Restricted access)
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