JS body to probe drug sector

A four-member parliamentary sub-committee was formed yesterday to investigate the overall situation in the drug industry and find out the causes of death of 24 kids who took a drug of Rid Pharmaceutical Company.
Headed by Nazmul Hasan, a lawmaker of the ruling Awami League, the sub-committee has been asked to submit its report within next three months.
The parliamentary standing committee on health and family planning ministry, which formed the probe body, also asked the ministry to set up a modern drug testing laboratory for properly identifying pharmaceutical companies that produce sub-standard medicines.
At its meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban the committee expressed deep concern over the recent deaths of children and said the issue should be addressed with highest importance, otherwise it would be damaging for the country's image, especially as an exporter of medicines.
It asked the health ministry to take stern action against the corrupt section of people responsible to protect the pharmaceutical sector that is earning a major chunk of foreign exchange.
"We are concerned at the incident [of the children's deaths] and have formed a four-member parliamentary sub-committee to investigate the overall situation in the pharmaceutical sector and find out the reason behind the incident," Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, chairman of the standing committee, said after the meeting.
Apart from lawmaker Nazmul Hasan, the committee has one representative each from the Drug Administration, the health ministry and the Directorate General of Health Services, Selim told reporters.
He said out of 222 licensed pharmaceutical companies 164 are producing drugs. He alleged that a few companies produce more categories of drugs than they have licence for.
Referring to the proposal for founding a modern drug-testing laboratory, he said, "All pharmaceutical companies will have to take approval from this laboratory for their medicines before marketing them."
Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, who was present at the meeting, approved the proposal.
Yesterday's meeting also discussed activities of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Bangladesh-Kuwait Friendship Hospital, which was handed over to the private sector during the last BNP-Jamaat rule.