Another attempt falters... pharmacies evade prices and circumvent the drug pricing

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]Another attempt falters... pharmacies evade prices and circumvent the drug pricing[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Tabarak Abdul Majeed[/size]
[size=45]While government promises to improve the health situation in Iraq have been abundant for years, the citizen finds himself unable to cover the costs of his treatment, due to the high prices in pharmacies, and the unavailability of treatments in government institutions.[/size]
[size=45]Despite the efforts of the Pharmacists Syndicate to stabilize the prices of most medicines and medical products, since last June 15, pharmacists express their disappointment with the failure of the measures to reduce prices or adhere to them, and some pharmacies deal according to their mood by determining the cost of treatment.[/size]
[size=45]The head of the Pharmacists Syndicate, Mustafa Al-Hiti, said in an interview with (Al-Mada) that “drug prices were set during June last year, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, and any citizen can check the price of the medicine via the (Codia) sticker placed on the medicine’s packaging, or read the code on it.” The telephone route, which supports the Arabic language.”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the mechanism according to which prices were determined, Al-Hiti explains that “the prices were set by a committee consisting of five members in accordance with the law, and the union has membership in it,” adding that “some factors were taken into account when pricing; Such as inflation, the rise of the dollar, and customs taxes on merchants.”[/size]
[size=45]He continues by saying, “The lack of knowledge about taxes that have risen five times makes citizens believe that prices are high,” pointing out that “efficiency and quality of the medicine must be the priority, while ensuring that the price of the medicine is reasonable at the same time,” noting the presence of repeated claims. By the union, it urges stabilizing the price of the pharmaceutical dollar, but it did not receive importance from the current or previous government.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hiti confirms that “there is no increase in the prices of priced medical products,” revealing that “there are more than 15,000 unpriced products so far, which requires a lot of time and effort.” The percentage of medical products that were priced was about 32-40 percent, according to Al-Hiti.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, pharmacist Hamza Muhammad Sidalani opposes what the head of the Pharmacists Syndicate said regarding the lack of an increase in the prices of priced medicines. He told Al Mada: “There are pharmacies that did not pay attention to the medicine priced by the Ministry of Health,” specifying in his words “Doctors Street, In Kirkuk Governorate.[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Most of the pharmacies that still sell at high prices have agreements with the doctors next to them,” noting that “the pricing of medicines did not produce the expected result, due to the absence of an effective oversight and follow-up role.”[/size]
[size=45]The problem of high drug prices is adjacent to other problems related to selling and renting academic certificates in order to open drug stores by non-specialists, or opening illegal pharmacies (without a license), according to what Muhammad added, who described these actions as “immoral, and constitute a threat to the lives of citizens.” “.[/size]
[size=45]He continues, saying, “Some pharmacies are not subject to supervision and follow-up, because they are affiliated with some influential figures, and despite the closure of a number of pharmacies and beauty centers during the recent period, the situation requires diligent efforts and holding all negligent parties accountable, without exception.”[/size]
[size=45]The pharmacist, Zaid Al-Kinani, agrees with what Muhammad said, as he also confirmed that there is no benefit from the drug pricing that took place, while he pointed out that there are other challenges facing small pharmacies, such as selling the drug at low prices by large pharmacies or those that have partnerships with drug suppliers.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kanani explained to Al-Mada that “most of the large pharmacies belong to influential figures or one of their sons, or are linked to parties in power, which makes them raise and lower prices according to their mood.”[/size]
[size=45]He adds, “The pharmacies that belong to influential figures and are located within medical complexes buy some of the doctors in the complex, so that they can profit as much as they want.”[/size]
[size=45]At the conclusion of the talk, Al-Kinani stresses the necessity of strengthening the role of oversight and follow-up, and enforcing the law while imposing deterrent penalties on everyone, without excluding one party or another.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, member of the Parliamentary Health and Environment Committee, Bassem Al-Gharabi, points out the presence of intruders to the pharmacy profession in Iraq, while calling on the relevant authorities to take deterrent measures against violating pharmacies and cancel their licenses.[/size]
[size=45]He stated during his talk to (Al-Mada) that “the number of pharmacies in the country is constantly increasing, as their number exceeds 20 thousand pharmacies, throughout Iraq with the exception of the Kurdistan region,” and he explained the reason for the increase in numbers by the large number of graduates, who exceeded the threshold of 7 thousand pharmacists, while they were previously estimated With 300 pharmacists.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Gharabi warned of the weakness of deterrent measures for pharmacies and stores that import medicines, expressing his concern about the lack of qualitative control over medicines.[/size]
[size=45]According to statistics from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of pharmacists in Iraq reached about 10,000 pharmacists in 2018, and expectations indicate that today they will reach more than 41,000 pharmacists.[/size]
[size=45]The Prime Minister had stressed the need to advance the health sector, which he considered a priority for the government and its ministerial platform. Accordingly, during his statements, he stressed the importance of localizing the pharmaceutical industry locally and providing medical supplies to the poor classes.[/size]
[size=45]Commenting on the Prime Minister’s initiative to manufacture medicines locally, the head of the Pharmacists Syndicate, Mustafa Al-Hiti, says, “Iraq does not need to manufacture standard medicines, as there are more than 30 laboratories that produce this type, and the process of increasing production of the same types will cause two problems; Small laboratories were damaged, and the market’s need for the rest of the basic medicines required by the World Health Organization was not met.”[/size]
[size=45]He urged Al-Hiti to carefully study the issue of the local pharmaceutical industry, while calling for a focus on life-saving medicines.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]