Govt pay New GPC six times retail cost for pharmaceuticals …

 
Probe needed into all drug supply contracts  – APNU’s Dr George Norton

The government needs to come clean; it needs to explain how it decides on drug supply contracts that have largely favoured the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC), says Dr George Norton.

Bobby Ramroop

“The situation needs to be brought out in the open,” Dr Norton, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament told Kaieteur News.
APNU is the country’s main opposition party, and Dr Norton is responsible for health issues from the opposition benches in the National Assembly.
He said that for years now, the opposition has argued that there is not a level playing field in the acquisition of drugs for the country’s hospitals.
Dr Norton charged that because of the government’s one-stop option of New GPC, citizens have been robbed of critical drugs.
He said that some pharmacies at health facilities are without some drugs simply because New GPC cannot bring it or doesn’t bring it on time.
“If you can’t get it from New GPC, you just do without,” Norton explained in an interview with Kaieteur News.
He said that for years the opposition saw an unhealthy trend of the New GPC benefitting from most, if not all of the contracts for the importation of medical drugs.
“All the doubts and accusations about the award of such contracts should be cleared up by the government in the interest of the citizens of Guyana,” Dr Norton declared.
Dr Norton recalled the time when it was complained that selected bidders are chosen for contracts. He made mention of International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA) whose head, Lloyd Singh, complained that the Ministry of Health is spending taxpayers money and if there was prequalification of tenders and allocation of funds it must go through a level and transparent process.