Psychiatrists warn of medicine shortages at public clinics

Sasop said the shortages also cover lorazepam injections and orphenadrine. It named Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape as affected. The society said it began receiving complaints from psychiatrists in June 2026.

Sasop said patients who cannot get their usual medicine may relapse. That could cause more complications and hospital admissions. Dr Mvuyiso Talatala, a past president and spokesperson for the society, said this adds strain to psychiatric beds that already face high demand.

Sasop also said patients who need admission may wait in emergency departments for hours or days. It said this could expose them to human rights abuses. It said hospital management stopped some psychiatrists from writing private prescriptions for families willing to buy unavailable medicines from private pharmacies.

Talatala said health officials blamed late orders by facilities, factory closures by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority for non-compliance, and disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz. He said none of these reasons explains a shortage of many drugs made by many companies. The Department of Health had not responded to a request for comment.