Saturday November 14, 2015
Kabul (BNA) While a number of Kabul citizens complain on imports of low quality medicines and request forbidding of their imports, the MoPH authorities said that 60 tons of low quality and expired medicines are ready to be set ablaze.
According to Kabul citizens, low quality medicines are still being imported and smuggled in to the country and sold by a number of drug stores in cheap prices. But the concerned authorities of the MoPH claim that they have full and continued control over pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and drug importing companies in the capital and provinces and time and again confiscate low quality or illegal drugs and destroy them. Head of MoPH Pharmaceutical Department Abdul Hafiz Quraishi said, “Our department has always been trying to prevent imports of low quality or expired medicines and their supply. At present over 2700 pharmacies are operating in Kabul and rural districts and the MoPH continuesly supervise their activities.
Quraishi added, “Fortunately the NUG has taken good steps for support of private investment including the pharmacy so the pharmaceutical companies could offer better services to people. The MoPH has distributed over one thousand Jeribs land to pharmaceutical companies to establish their factories and produce high quality medicines inside the country. This area located in Chashma Kharoti village, Mir Bacha Kot district. We have provided many facilities to produce high quality and standard medicines”. According to MoPH authorities, at present over 40 medicine importing companies are operating in Afghanistan who officially and legally import medicines. Talking on the companies who imported low quality, expired or suspicious medicines into local markets, Quraishi said, “40 violating companies were identified and black listed and their activities were stopped. Out of 32 pharmaceutical companies, 24 are producing medicines and the rest produce antiseptic and deter gents’ materials. These companies meet domestic needs and don’t export their products.
Quraishi went on to say, the quality of their products is higher than the smuggled or imported medicines. Their products are controlled by the MoPH and then supplied to domestic markets. Low quality medicines have caused people concern. Sharifah and Mohammad Murid two citizens said, “Patients cannot be medicated with expired or low quality medicine. The government should prevent its imports. But these low quality medicines can be found in pharmacies in cheap prices. This is the government responsibility to prevent it. Medical experts believe that beside diagnose and treatment, use of high quality medicines play vital role in patients improvement. Part of people loses their life due to use of low quality medicines. Ahmad Reshad owner of a private pharmacy asked the Afghan government to force medicine importing companies to import from Turkey, Germany, India because their products are high quality and effective. Shukria Kohistani
