Latest update January 3rd, 2025 4:30 AM
Jul 29, 2014 News
The prevalence of fake drugs on the local market is no small challenge that health sectors across the world are faced with.
According to Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Resident Representative, Dr. William Adu Krow, Guyana is not exempt from such challenges.
Since he assumed the post of PAHO Representative earlier this year he has had discussions with Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran on such matters. “I think that it is a big issue here…I have advised Government about this and have spoken to the Minister (on this issue),” said Dr. Adu Krow. He pointed out that testing for such shortcomings in Guyana are limited.
“We don’t have the system that actually tests the drugs so we have to go with what we call the World Health Organisation (WHO) pre-approved drugs – drugs coming from a place where WHO has already ascertained that these drugs are not fake,” said the PAHO Representative.
Dr. Adu Krow, who was at the time addressing media personnel at a PAHO-spearheaded workshop, said that once WHO pre-approved drugs are procured “we know that they are good drugs.”
But according to PAHO’s Malaria Advisor, Dr. Maria Sanchez, while there may be evidence of fake drugs on the local market these have entered the country due to no fault of the Ministry of Health.
She explained that as part of PAHO’s work, efforts are currently being made, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to undertake a study aimed at ascertaining whether the drugs being used by the malaria programme, for instance, are working well for patients.
This, according to her, has been done on many occasions, perhaps every two years, in order for Government to effectively monitor the existing malaria programme.
“As far as we know, everything is working well but we know that sometimes miners, in particular, in the case of malaria, go and buy drugs over the counter. This is something Government obviously has no control over,” noted Dr. Sanchez.
According to her, some of these drugs are brought in from neighbouring territories such as Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela. “We know that there is not a problem with the medicine Government brings in because we test them in conjunction with the government but the miners choose to go and purchse over the counter drugs rather than going to the health centres to get the (good) drugs,” added the Malaria Advisor.
Dr. Sanchez noted too that the whole ‘fake drug’ situation is hinged on what individuals choose in terms of treatment for a particular health condition they suffer. “I wouldn’t buy treatment over the counter somewhere in Region Seven but some people do, but the govt definitely checks the drugs and we help them with that,” Dr. Sanchez reiterated.
Speaking to instances where fake drugs have proven to be detrimental, Dr. Adu Krow alluded to an instance where he himself randomly selected five antibiotics from pharmaceutical shops while on work duty in Australia. Following analysis of these drugs it was found that three of the five were fake drugs.
Another such incident was found in Nigeria, Dr. Adu Krow said, where medications used to treat children with cerebral malaria were found to be counterfeit. He recalled that 25 children who were suffering from the condition were administered such medications and 16 of the 25 children subsequently died.
The medications which were available in a hospital setting, according to Dr. Adu Krow, were analysed and were all found to be fake.
“Now the problem in Guyana is that there are many people importing drugs by themselves,” said Dr. Adu Krow as he stressed the need for the situation to be addressed at the Ports of Entry.
“We have to deal with the Port Authorities and the customs people who have to enforce that these people pay their import duties…We have to make sure that as they come they give us samples to be tested. I think that we need to start this and the time is right,” added the PAHO Representative.
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