Expired drugs will not be an issue under coalition govt.

Apr 21, 2015 News

– $280M in drugs destroyed in 2014
Noting that expired drugs was still an issue plaguing the healthcare system under the PPP/C administration, APNU+AFC member Dr. George Norton has committed that the problem will be resolved under a

(Left to right) The APNU+AFC Press Conference was attended by Chief Communications Officer Imran Khan, Dr. Surendra Persaud, Dr. Karen Cummings and Dr. George Norton

coalition government.
Norton made the assertion during a press conference held yesterday by the APNU+AFC to deal with matters concerning healthcare in Guyana.
During questioning, Norton revealed that the state had destroyed $280M worth of expired drugs in 2014 by the state. He added that this situation was one that the APNU+AFC “would certainly want to put an end to and put measures in place to prevent.”
He said too, that when drugs are unexpired, the issue of shortage remains. Norton noted that this was particularly an issue in far-flung areas such as Region One.
“We’ve heard of something as common as malaria drugs being in short supply in these areas. We want to put an end to that,” Norton emphasised. He continued, “We’ve had situations where the medics in one of these areas would have had to distribute or share a normal dose of medication for malaria to more than one person.”
Norton said that furthermore, the government has been supplying medical supplies and medication to the Georgetown Public Hospital and the Ministry of Health for a number of years. He emphasized, that the situation needed to be remedied.
“We will operate not by cabinet order but by the tender board procedure and we will try to give all the drug companies a level playing field,” he said. Norton’s statements were clearly directed towards the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (NGPC).
He went on to say that the government has been purchasing medications from the company at “very high prices” instead of purchasing from another company at a low cost.
“But they persist, and it’s not because that particular company has not been delinquent in supplying medicines in terms of quantity and time,” Norton added.
New APNU+AFC member Dr. Surendra Persaud also opined that the healthcare system needed to be decentralized to maximize productivity. He suggested the proper establishment of Regional Health Authorities in Guyana.
“One of the great challenges we have in Guyana is that we’re trying to run healthcare from Georgetown…The only Regional Health Authority that has been established is the Berbice Regional Health Authority and it has not fully covered there. So what we need to do is look at that, figure out what are the Regional Health Authorities we need, create them and look for proper accountability,” Persaud said.
“This will help so that we don’t have somebody in Bartica or Lethem having to call Georgetown; their regional authority will procure and that will enhance transparency,” he said. He added, “If we fly from here to Trinidad, they have gone way further than us in establishing Regional Health Authorities.”
Norton’s stance on sole sourcing of drugs is one previously stated by APNU+AFC. Khemraj Ramjattan had said that there must be some supervisory role over this process through the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission which will ensure that all the rules are adhered to in order to secure value for money.
The AFC Leader had said too that it will be up to the body to decide when sole sourcing is absolutely necessary.