Coronavirus Asia
Thailand Pharmaceutical council anticipates medicine shortages

Thailand’s Pharmaceutical Council are expecting serious shortages within the oncoming month and has asked the government to build up its reserves of drugs for chronic patients.
The Council joined a number players of the industry to address the impact of Covid-19 on pharmaceutical development and, on Tuesday (April 14), they set out five ways to solve the issue so that people with chronic diseases have access to appropriate medicines.
The Country Pharmaceutical Agency (GPO) has recently told many hospitals that it has been running out of certain medicines for more than a month and that it is impossible for the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association of Thailand to procure raw materials.
The Ministry of Public Health is also being pressured to find ways to resolve the crisis, particularly as a number of suppliers in countries such as China, India, Europe and the United States have also been hit by the pandemic.
In the meantime, the Pharmaceutical Council has announced the following proposals to address the situation:
1. The government will find a way to centralise the production and delivery of vital drugs by working together on policy and management levels, as well as on relevant agencies such as the Pharmaceutical Organisation, the Thai Association of Modern Pharmaceutical Industries, the Pharmaceutical Council and experts.
2. The Public Health Ministry should develop a policy to order drugs six months in advance, although delivery can be done gradually, giving factories time to prepare raw materials for production.
3. Ensure payments are made within one month so that the pharmaceutical industry can reserve raw materials for a period of six months longer than the current set-up of three months.
4. In the case of shortages, the government should be prepared to negotiate government-to-government deals with countries supplying raw materials, such as China and India, and even to arrange for aircraft to pick up medicines, pharmaceutical products and packaging.
5. The pharmaceutical industry should be allowed to store raw materials for at least six months.
The Pharmaceutical Council has reported that access to medicines for chronic patients is an urgent issue that needs to be resolved urgently. If immediate action is not taken, there will be chaos in less than a month.
SOURCE: The Nation
Stay updated with Samui Times by following us on Facebook.- The News3 days ago
3 Thai political activists tried to commit suicide in prison
- The News3 days ago
Foreign sex pest caught on film assaulting Thai beauty contestant
- The News3 days ago
Countdown to Thailand’s Post Pandemic Day – July 1 | GMT
- The News3 days ago
Thai PM makes bizarre ‘go easy’ on me plea to media
- The News3 days ago
2 Indians caught with over 100 animals at Suvarnabhumi Airport
- The News3 days ago
Majority of international travel to Phuket is from India
- The News3 days ago
Welcome to Thailand’s Post Pandemic Day – July 1. What will change?
- The News3 days ago
Power lines and transformers to be checked after fatal Bangkok Chinatown fire
You must be logged in to post a comment Login