Ministry of Health intends to introduce strict control on medicine quality
By Messenger Staff
Monday, January 11
Georgia’s Minister of Health, Davit Sergeenko, has stated that his body planned to introduce strict control on both imported and local medicines from this year.
The Minister highlighted that together with local laboratories, the quality of medicines would be tested in high-class foreign labs.
“The quality control covers several stages. Up to now, imported and locally produced medicines were checked for quality just once, after the medicines were distributed from factories.
“From this year, we also plan to check the materials which are used for making medicine."
The Minister highlighted that the local Levan Samkharauli Laboratory, where medicine is examined and tested, did not have the relevant international accreditation to conduct is tests.
Consequently, Sergeenko said that together with the local lab, the quality of medicines would be re-checked in leading European labs.
In September 2014, restrictions were placed on about 6,000 medicines meaning they were only available with a doctors’ prescription.
Later during the same year, Georgia’s Ministry of Health announced it would lift this ban on 772 medicines.
At a special media briefing, Sergeenko announced 772 medications were added to the group of drugs sold that would be sold in pharmacies without a prescription.
The major aim of the restrictions was fighting against so-called “pharmacy drug addiction”, when individuals used to buy different type of medicines, then mixed them and used them as narcotics.
However, together with the changes, a good deal of people - especially on social networks - stated that the price of medicines is extremely high in Georgia, while their quality is quite low.
The consumers also say that there might be some deals between the medical institutions and pharmacies through which doctors prescribe such medicines which are of high price and selling those which are in the interest of the pharmacies.
