Minister of Health Dr George Norton says international standards will be adhered to when the ministry moves to open tendering for the procurement of pharmaceuticals.
“I can openly say to you that all of the World Health Organisation’s requirements will be met. We will not do anything to contradict their recommendations,” Norton told Stabroek News.
“We are comfortable in the sense that it will be competitive bidding,” he added, while noting that the prequalification method previously used limited many from participating in the bidding process.
Norton said what was happening was that one or two large organisations were selected and the smaller dealers who could have comfortably provided drugs under smaller contracts were being side-lined due to the prequalification requirements.
He said open tendering did not mean that the government was looking to not deal specifically with the New Guyana Pharmaceu-tical Corporation (New GPC).
The company would be welcomed to bid on contracts as in the years prior, he noted, alongside other qualified bidders.
Norton said “quality and the price” would be the foundation for selection of contractors under the new drug procurement guidelines that are still being finalised.
He added that there have been many instances where the drugs procured had very short shelf lives and expired drugs have often found their way into the public health system.
Norton also noted cases where bottles with pills would be opened although they were supposed to be new, and in some cases the medication would change colour or would disintegrate into dust. Norton expressed his frustration with this situation, which he said had to be addressed fully moving forward.
He noted that the public health system has to be on par with the private health system and towards this end there is a greater responsibility to provide drugs that are safe for consumption.
Norton recalled that potency tests conducted on an array of medication that was to be made available in the public health system have proved them to be ineffective. Additionally, he said patients have long complained that drugs while provided freely or at a significantly reduced cost by the public health system are ineffective in comparison with drugs sourced from private pharmacies.
“These are some of the things that we have to take into consideration with the new requirements,” Norton said.
He stated that the way the drugs are being dispensed is also an area that is being looked at more closely.
Norton said part of the move to refine the procurement guidelines was also to crack down on the illegal sale of medication. He said that currently there is medication that was made overseas for consumption that is being sold in Guyana. He stated this also needed to be addressed in the new guidelines.
Meanwhile, Norton also said Cabinet has not reached any specific conclusion as it relates to the New GPC’s contract, which had been awarded prior to the May 11 elections. He reiterated that the contract was still being reviewed by the Attorney-General’s Office and there has been no pronouncement as yet.
In August, the APNU+AFC government halted a $572 million payment to the New GPC in connection with the contract while citing the need for a full review. Norton could not confirm whether the payment was subsequently made.
