Procure sanctioned drugs: PM

PRIME Minister James Marape has ordered the Health Department to procure drugs and medicines directly from World Health Organisation (WHO)-sanctioned manufacturers.
“Do away with the current procurement system introduced by the previous (Peter) O’Neill Government,” he said on Tuesday.
But O’Neill said the procurement process was well in place before his government took office.
O’Neill said: “Marape was Finance minister responsible for the Tenders Board and its procurement processes. The changes he (Marape) brought forward to the National Executive Council for the National Procurement Commission was his (Marape) and now he wants to pass the buck,” he said.
On Tuesday, Marape met with Indian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea Shri S Imbasekar.
Imbasekar told Marape that India was the cheapest supplier of generic drugs as recognised by WHO. He said India could supply drugs to PNG on a government-to-government basis at a fraction of the costs PNG was currently paying to pharmaceutical companies.
“My Government made a deliberate policy to do a holistic overhaul of the existing drug procurement system when we came into office in 2019,” Marape said.
“However, a three-year drug-procurement contract issued by the O’Neill regime was already in place and we have had to live through that. That contract has been the subject of much controversy and riddled with allegations of corruption, including the Public Accounts Committee inquiries in 2014 and 2019.
“This year, as we move out of the contract period, we will move into a new drug-procurement system.”
Marape said the lives of Papua New Guineans could no longer be at the mercy of an ineffective drug-procurement system.
“We want quality drugs to be readily available without middlemen,” he said.
“This means straight to the Health Department from a trusted source. I have directed the Health Department to immediately start procuring drugs from manufacturers like those in India. India is a renowned pharmaceutical nation that the world relies on.”