It's a pity that such an important organisation finds itself in a state of collapse due to manpower shortage at the top and lower down. It is working like a headless chicken for the last three months with the director's post lying vacant. A joint secretary is in current charge, but he cannot devote full time to the office, being present only once or twice a week. As for the mandatory inspection of the factories, out of 42 officials meant for the job, 15 have gone abroad. Of the remainder 27, only seven are posted in Dhaka and 20 spread thin all over the country. No wonder, drugs of questionable quality from several factories which are not subjected to any oversight have intruded into the market.

Equally important is the fact that import of raw materials being hindered due to slow pace of work at the drug administration, output of medicine would decline with the possibility of drug prices going up. Already there is a price pressure on the market.

Last but not least, export is being hurt. Among the developing countries Bangladesh has a strong pharmaceutical base, even enjoying a comparative advantage over Malaysia and Pakistan which are more import-dependent than us. In fact, our drug export potential is estimated to have gone higher with the WTO waiver on intellectual property rights for some specialised drug manufacturing being granted to the LDCs. Amongst the LDCs in Africa and Asia, Bangladesh is considered to be a potential front runner in the manufacture of some highly exportable drugs. Forex earning could be substantial if we tap this potential.

We draw the attention of the government to the stuttering state of drug administration and urge them to fully equip the body with expert manpower and logistical backup so that it can deliver the goods in a vital area of national life and economy.