Alarm at drugs on streets

 COUNCIL authorities in Kokopo, East New Britain, are urged to monitor shops operating in the town to ensure prescription medicine is not sold over the counter.

Health authorities have raised concern about the resurgence of drugs such as amoxicillin, chloroquine and Mala One on streets and shops. 

These types of drugs should only be supplied by certified and qualified pharmacists. 

A provincial drugs committee in place conducted awareness and an operation to remove these items in 2012 and last year and was likely to conduct another operation to rid these items from the streets and ordinary shops.

Provincial health adviser Nicholas Larme, acknowledging that there was an increase in the availability of prescription medicines in the streets and shops, said the urban councils should be inspecting and confiscating operating licences of  businesses that did not comply with regulations and policies of the town authority.

Larme cautioned the public again not to risk their lives buying drugs from street vendors and shops.

Vendors and their suppliers were caught with five cases of amoxicillin confiscated from a shop at Takubar.