Warning to pharmacies for selling drugs at higher prices

November 24, 2024

Development - Provincial

Warning to pharmacies for selling drugs at higher prices ^Featured

October 27, 2015

A flying squad will be set up to detect private pharmacies selling drugs at higher prices violating the agreement made in connection with the prices of drugs, Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. He expressed those views during a meeting held with around 100 district pharmacy organizations representatives 18 districts. The meeting held in Ratnapura recently.

According to Minister Senaratne all should pay attention towards the contents in the rules and regulations and not in the drug policy. There are about 3,000 pharmacies country wide but only around 1,000 pharmacists are there.

The minister said the punishment that should be given to the pharmacies which violate the policy will be decided soon. The first and main objective of drafting the rules and regulations is lowering the prices of drugs. An agreement had been made with private pharmacies about the percentage of profit they earn and it is 85 percent.

Minister Senaratne stressed that the people feel the value of the policy by the low price and the doctors feel the value of the policy by the high quality of drugs. Once the drug quality test laboratory set up in Sri Lanka prescribing drugs in trade names will be totally banned. It will take about two years to do this. We cannot close down 2000 pharmacies which cater to people who do not have a pharmacy to buy drugs.