Re: Over 100 pharmacies closed
Dear editor,
Hundred per cent of all pharmacy council members and all medicine control members are all licence holders and have all their licences rented to foreigners. The truth is that pharmacy council members and medicine control members want to monopolise the pharmacy business among the already “elites” in the business. This is why we can see exorbitant prices in some outlets because it’s monopolized. The closure of many qualified personnel operating pharmacies or drugstores is making many of their communities feel the brunt. Pharmacy council is still reluctant to issue licence to qualified personnel who already applied and yet they are embarked on mass closure of pharmacies and drugstores.
These council members forget that many communities depend on pharmacies or drugstores instead of going to hospitals, especially if the personnel operating are trusted qualified medical personnel who can diagnose and treat. They forgot that hospitals and health centres can’t consume all health problems so drugstores operated by qualified personnel who can diagnose and treat are there to complement. Parliament must step in to restrict medicine control agency from going beyond their responsibility to close pharmacies or drugstores. Parliament must step in to determine why there this irrational reluctance of pharmacy council to issue licenses to those qualified, and to remedy it as soon as possible. Parliament must step in to revisit regulations on licensing of pharmacies and drugstores for the interest of GENERAL GAMBIANS and not for the interest of any group or members of any body but for the interest of the general Gambians. Gambian laws for the general Gambians and NOT for any FEW BODY or few council members and not for interest of any few PROTECTIONISTS at the disadvantage of general Gambians.
Giggi
Re: Over 100 pharmacies closed
Dear editor,
In fact taking care of counterfeit drugs should be the responsibility of MCA medicine control agency but they are not doing that itself instead going after licensing issues which should be the responsibility of pharmacy council. The reason why MCA won’t do that is because all importers of drugs are using their licences and so are the pharmacy council members too. Importers are using their licences so they won’t dwell into that much or bring in tougher regulations allowing only genuine drugs into the country because there is possibility they will be affected negatively.
I’m in favour of parliament intervention to put a stop to unnecessary regulations aimed at deterring qualified Gambians to own and operate pharmacies or drugstores to economically develop themselves and thus reducing poverty and unemployment which in turn will boost the country’s coffers. Pharmacy council and medicine control are apparently corrupt. They enact laws that see themselves to own 3 outlets with only one licence and all are rented to almost foreigners and now deterring qualified fellow Gambians to own just one. This is corruption and new Gambia must never accept this. That law itself must change -one licence for one outlet period. You cannot operate three pharmacies with just one licence and someone else cannot have one.
This is unacceptable. I was made to understand that there are Gambian applicants who are qualified and their licence applications are there lying dormant gathering dust in the office of pharmacy council for almost a year and nothing done yet. This is unacceptable. Pharmacy council and MCA must know and realise willingly or unwillingly that their offices are public offices and belong to Gambians and not their fathers’ homes or inheritance. Their offices must serve only general public interests and not their personal. Everyone wants development. I will advise all affected owners who are denied licence for no good reason to demonstrate in front of parliament and in front of the president’s palace so that this ends and new laws come in allowing Gambians to own and operate pharmacies and drugstores
Mbye Njie
