SANA'A February 03. 2023 (Saba) -The Supreme Authority for Medicines confirmed that the authority is making unremitting efforts to provide safe and high-quality medicine, at reasonable prices, for the citizen.
The Director General of Control at the Supreme Authority for Medicines, Dr. Amr Al-Junaid, said in an interview with the Yemeni News Agency (Saba): "The quality and safety of medicine is a priority for the Medicines Authority, and at the same time it is concerned with providing medicines at reasonable prices."
He attributed the high prices to many factors, foremost of which are the practices of the Saudi-American aggression by preventing the arrival of food and medicine, because of this has serious repercussions, in addition to the additional measures imposed by the Drug Authority in Aden on merchants, and other measures that unfortunately contribute to increase drug price.
He added, "The authority is facing complications as a result of the policy of blockade of the aggression coalition on Yemen, including the blockade on medicine." He pointed to the authority's efforts and procedures in providing medicine and controlling its prices, through the implementation of periodic campaigns in cooperation with health offices in the municipality and the provinces to control the quality of medicines and their prices, and obligating pharmacies to put a price on the packages.
He also stressed the authority's keenness to provide medicines from more than one company and to enhance competition between them in order to reduce prices and oblige importers to announce the prices of 2,260 medicinal items, and it is currently working on advertising 1,300 items that will be circulated in the coming days.
Al-Junaid touched on the authority's efforts to provide safe and quality medicine, and at the forefront of its efforts to stop smuggling operations, and to prevent the entry of any unsafe medicine into the market.
He pointed out that the authority issued a circular to all ports and instructed the Customs Authority to destroy any smuggled medicines.
In addition, he indicated that the authority destroyed 15 tons of smuggled medicines during the year 2021 AD, and eight tons in the year 2022 AD, and a destruction mechanism was adopted at the ports in cooperation and coordination with the Customs Authority, and the authority also seized 80 violations of agents of foreign companies at the ports during the year 2022 AD, as well as seizing large quantities of Smuggled and sexual drugs and their confiscation.
Al-Junaid revealed clear and strict directives from the Authority, the Customs Authority and the competent authorities for the land and customs outlets, to quickly deal with drug shipments, so as not to be exposed to sunlight or inappropriate storage conditions for a long time.
He said, "There are permanent directives for drug importers to ensure that their documents are completed in order to speed up the completion of their transactions, and the passage of drug shipments with ease and ease, so that these shipments are not delayed at the ports and that they are dealt with quickly within a short time, in the event that they complete the necessary documents."
He added, "We have specific conditions and standards for the transportation of drug shipments so that the drug items are not damaged, and these conditions are not limited to transportation only, but also to the conditions and places for storing the drug," stressing that the authority takes strict measures against violators in this regard.
Al-Junaid also confirmed that the Supreme Medicines Authority is currently carrying out a field campaign to control drug wholesalers to verify permits, search for and confiscate smuggled and infringing drugs, as well as verify the storage conditions of medicines.
In response to a question about the authority’s imposition of large fees on drug importers, Al-Junaid said: “In light of eight years of siege and aggression, fluctuations in exchange rates in the local market, and the closure of ports except for the port of Aden, which is controlled by the aggression coalition, and it imposed enormous customs fees.” And arbitrary by aggression, all of this contributed to an increase in medicine prices.
He added, "The delay in ships carrying shipments of medicines and the long wait for their entry by the aggression coalition into Aden port, in addition to what happened recently by Aden customs to raise the exchange rate to 750 riyals to the dollar, all of this led to a complete increase in prices."
Al-Junaid explained that "despite the obstacles and circumstances, measures were taken by the authority, including reviewing and correcting cif prices to suit the citizen's purchasing power as a minimum."
He continued, "The authority also reviews the price lists and obliges agents to stick the prices approved by the authority on the packages, so that no additional and side bonuses are added by some merchants, pharmacies, wholesalers, and some weak-minded people who trade in the suffering of the people."
Al-Junaid reported that field committees are set up to control prices and oblige pharmacies to announce prices continuously, stressing that monitoring the pharmaceutical market had a positive and effective role in achieving price stability in the pharmaceutical market.
He reaffirmed that the Supreme Medicines Authority is working to eliminate negative phenomena in the drug market and protect citizens from exploitation, including monitoring any imbalance, and studying the development of control procedures to ensure that the citizen has access to safe medicine.
With regard to the drug market control, Al-Junaid stated that the authority is carrying out a field visit to continuously monitor the drug market, and to control those who begged themselves to manipulate prices from some merchants who lose the slightest sense of humanity. He pointed out that the processes of correcting imbalances are based on by leaps and bounds, its fruits began to appear despite the obstacles facing the commission.
Al-Junaid talked about the Authority's efforts to monitor the quality of medicines and their suitability for use, pointing out that the Authority announced 50 items that did not conform to the specifications and that they were withdrawn from the market during the past three months.
J.A
resource : SABA
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