NDA gives pharmacies deadline to meet standards

By Patrick Jaramogi

Drug dealers and pharmacies have a two-year grace period to style up and meet the required good pharmaceutical practice or face closure.  

This follows announcement by the health minister that all public sector pharmacies will be subjected to inspection just like the private sector.

State minister for health in charge of general duties, Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye, said the implementation will be conducted with support from National Drug Authority (NDA).

Tumwesigye said at the launch of the Good Pharmacy Practice certification at Protea Hotel that the new initiative funded by USAID through SURE is geared towards enhancing Ugandan’s Rights to Essential Medicines.

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) first adopted the guidelines for Good Pharmaceutical Practice in 1993.

These guidelines were developed as a reference to be used by national pharmaceutical organisations, governments, and international pharmaceutical organizations to set up nationally accepted standards of Good Pharmacy Practice.

The aim of the good pharmacy practice is geared towards contributing to health improvement and to help patients with health problems to make the best use of their medicines.

NDA Executive secretary, Gordon Sematiko pointed out that 60 percent of the 3,384 registered pharmacies don’t meet the required standards of good pharmaceutical practice. “There are four major roles of the pharmacist according to WHO required principles of GPP. They should prepare, obtain, store, secure, distribute, administer, dispense and dispose of medical products in a professional manner,” said Sematiko.

He said they should also provide effective medication therapy management, maintain and improve professional performance and contribute to improve effectiveness of the health-care system and public health.

He noted that the deadline for meeting all required standard is January 1 2016. “Those who don’t comply with be closed down. They either work with us or face closure,” he said.

Sematiko said under the required set standards, no person will be allowed to transport drugs in car boots let alone sell medicines on streets and public places not gazetted as drug shops. “Drug shops are not supposed to have beds for treating of patients,” he said.

He said so far over sh90m had been spent on inspection of over 500 drug shops across the country in the last one year.