Access to quality drugs an issue of concern

 THE Health Department must intensify efforts to ensure medical drugs brought into the country are of credible quality and meet international standards. 

This was one of the main issues raised at a question and answer seminar in Port Moresby last Friday on access to quality drugs, organised by Coffey International Development on behalf of AusAID through the Economic and Public Sector Programme. 

The panellists included deputy health secretary (National Health Standards and Services) Dr Paison Dakulala, Western Highlands provincial health authority chief executive officer Dr James Kintwa, West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel, University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine and Health Sciences head of pharmacy Dr Jackson Lauwo and JTA Associates chief executive Dr Jane Thomason. 

One of the questions put to the panellists was: “What do you think should be done to improve access to quality assured drugs?”

Lauwo said that the Health Department needed to work with other stakeholders such as police and Customs to monitor medical drugs brought into the country. 

Dakulala said the department collaborated with other bodies to ensure that happened but capacity, including the effective monitoring of the supply of drugs to health facilities especially in the rural areas, was an issue.