Public Health Ministry to crackdown on illegal pharmacies

…medication regulations to be upgraded

The local pharmaceutical sector will be closely evaluated in the coming week in order to upgrade laws, acts, regulations and policies. The collaborative effort between the Public Health Ministry and the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) will primarily focus on the widespread abuse of anti-biotic medicines, the existence of illegal pharmacists and other irregularities instigated by many patients.
Director of Pharmacies at the Public Health Ministry, Oneil Atkins, said the two-day consultation aims to beef up the “weak” medicines and pharmaceutical policies that currently exist and are preyed upon by patients, professionals and charlatans operating in the sector.
Additionally, the forum is intended to assist patients with identifying which pharmacies are legally registered and also sharpen the awareness of said patients. Atkins noted that many patients are “too uninformed” about critical pharmaceutical issues and policy matters in the sector.
Atkins also expressed concern over the fact that many patients visit pharmacists or physicians with the intention of demanding medication when most times all they need is a conversation with a specialist.
The Public Health Ministry is especially concerned about the abuse of antibiotic medicines among practitioners and patients. It was highlighted that the widespread abuse is rampant in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Atkins, who also acts as an advisor to Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, stated that the upgraded documents will see practitioners being ‘more responsible and accountable’ and help keep counterfeit drugs off the local market. He expressed hopes that the legislators will act ‘as fast as possible’ to get the new laws and regulations enacted to help the Public Health Ministry deal with the grave problem with antibiotic resistance in Guyana.
When the issue was brought to light last year, Minister Lawrence noted that the long-overdue overhauling of the pharmaceutical sector is to help “administer the quality of primary healthcare and health services to the citizens of our beloved country.”