Regulating pvt. pharmacies: Government pharmacists want NMRA Act enforced

With an increase in medicine-related problems faced by patients, Government Pharmacists said that it was time for the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) to fully use the powers given to it under the NMRA Act, No. 5 of 2015, which has triggered protests from private pharmacy owners.

The Society of Government Pharmacists (TSGP) President, Ajith Thilakarathna, told The Daily Morning yesterday (15) that the situation had arisen because regulations related to pharmacies have not been fully enforced for the past nine years. He said that the NMRA and the Health Ministry should now implement the provisions of the said Act to properly regulate and streamline pharmacies, especially in view of the growing number of medicine-related issues.

He said that the primary responsibility of protecting the public from harm caused by medicines was with the NMRA and the Ministry and the Government. 

Thilakarathna noted that amid the nationwide shortage of medicines, several videos had been circulating on social media in recent days showing how medicines were issued and stored in Government hospitals and health institutions. He said that these videos had weakened public confidence in the healthcare system.

He said that the NMRA Act gives the Authority the responsibility to regulate all medicines, medical devices and related products in the country, from manufacture to delivery to patients. “After this, there should also be a review by doctors and patients to assess whether the medicines have produced the expected results”. He stressed that this was one of the NMRA’s key duties to the public.

He added that private sector pharmacies played a key role in this process, as they supply medicines directly to patients. He claimed that more than 60 per cent of patients attending outpatient clinics in rural areas obtain their medicines from private pharmacies. Therefore, Thilakarathna said that regulating private pharmacies in rural areas is vital to protect the safety of the rural population.

He added that while there are established systems for monitoring and auditing health services in the public sector, there are also practical ways for the Government to regulate private pharmacies operating for profit. He alleged that recent media reports have revealed that around 2,500 private dispensaries are operating illegally in the country. Thilakarathna alleged that these 2,500 illegally operating pharmacies offer no benefit to the public as they create opportunities for the sale of illegal and unsafe medicines, drugs dispensed without proper medical advice, and even narcotics targeting school children.

He said that the NMRA was currently carrying out a national-level requirement by regulating private pharmacies. He stressed that enforcing the requirement for the presence of a qualified pharmacist is essential to ensure patient safety. Thilakarathna said that it is the responsibility of a pharmacy owner to employ a full-time pharmacist when opening a private pharmacy. Owners cannot shift this responsibility to the Government while operating unauthorised pharmacies and placing public safety at risk, he emphasised. 

Meanwhile, the NMRA Chairperson, Dr. Ananda Wijewickrema, told The Daily Morning that there was a strong need for a qualified person to guide other staff members in a pharmacy. A qualified professional must take responsibility, and existing laws need to be properly enforced, he stressed.

Responding to questions on why the law had not been fully implemented over the past several years, he said that there had been weaknesses in enforcement. He explained that the earlier implementation of the Act was not sufficient to identify wrongdoing by pharmacies. “Nearly 10 years later however, the legal provisions of the NMRA Act are now being enforced more effectively to detect and address such violations”. 

Source - The morning