Kathmandu. The Nepal Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association has expressed its disagreement with the suggestions of the committee formed to suggest adjustment of prices of medicines to the government. The committee formed under the coordination of economist Dr Posh Raj Pandey expressed dissatisfaction over the report submitted to Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel on Tuesday.
President of Nepal Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Mahesh Prasad Pradhan has said that they disagree with the method of adjusting the price of medicines.
Stating that there was consensus on the committee’s method of fixing the price and price adjustment of medicines, he complained that the methods given to the government by the Drug Advisory Council regarding the price of medicines on January 1, 2019, were not implemented.
He objected to the attempt to fix the price of medicines as per another method when the recommendations of the Drug Advisory Council were not implemented.
“We disagreed with the way we adjust the prices of medicines. We disagreed with their method of determining the price of medicines in this way or adjusting the price of medicines in this way. Even before today, the price should be adjusted in this way, the Drug Advisory Council, which is the highest body to advise the Government of Nepal on the price of medicines. We have disagreed that the methods given by the body to fix the price in this way have not yet been implemented, and now efforts are being made to determine the price of medicines according to another method. That’s our biggest reason. ‘
‘forced to be suspected’
Association President Pradhan said that the suggestions given by the Drug Advisory Council have not been implemented so far. He claimed that the price has not been revised since the price was fixed in 2064 BS.
Is the new method going to spoil other medicines? Stating that there is concern about this, he said that there is a need to be apprehensive whether the industry will be taken on a bad path. He expressed concern that the method mentioned in the report would not increase the industry but would come down.
He reiterated that he was apprehensive that nepal’s industrial sector and pharmaceutical industries were clearly becoming domestic.
He said, “The suggestion given by the Drug Advisory Council in 2075 BS has not worked so far, the price has not been revised so far after the price was fixed in 2064 BS. The method that is being made now does not have the process of reading above. The current process is in the process of going down. Therefore, we are apprehensive that we have clearly seen that the industrial areas of Nepal or the pharmaceutical industries of Nepal will be domestic when it comes down. ‘
‘This is how to write note of dissent’
After the formation of the committee, discussions started. Chairman Pradhan said that the association has been expressing disagreement ever since the price was discussed after a couple of discussions of the committee. He said that not only him but other people in the field have also said that the pharmaceutical industry will collapse in every meeting of the committee.
He claimed that at that time he had warned that he would not accept the report if they did not agree to it.
“When this committee was formed, the meeting started. After a couple of meetings, discussions started about it. Since then, when the price came, we had disagreements. Since then, there has been disagreement. Even in the committee, we have a disagreement here, we have disagreed in every meeting since then that the pharmaceutical industry will collapse. Not only me, but other friends in the field also spoke up. We had said at that time that if we do not agree, we will not accept it. ‘
Salary, electricity bill, diesel and petrol to increase, medicine price the same?
Pradhan, who is also a member of the committee, said it would be sad that the price of medicines has not increased due to increase in salary, dollars and increase in electricity bills. Stating that he did not accept the method of the committee members, he said that the price of petrol and diesel of the vehicle has increased 15 times a year, which has made the price of medicines remain the same for 17 years.
Stating that the decisions taken by the committee may not be accepted by them, he argued that there was no need to agree to the decision.
“I don’t see the need to listen to all the people who have been called and called,” he said. We did not accept the way they wanted to go. Will salaries increase every year, dollars increase, electricity bills increase, but the price of medicines will not increase? The price of petrol and diesel will increase 15 times a year, but the price of medicines will remain there for 17 years? And isn’t it time to be alarmed? We were called, we kept our points, we did not have to do it accordingly after putting our points. Similarly, according to what the committee has denied, we may or should not accept it. ‘
: Drug practitioners’ now strategy
Association Chair Pradhan said that they have raised the issue of opening the industry by mortgaging all the houses in the committee. He expressed concern that if the industry does not benefit, it will lead to losses and after the loss, the houses of industrialists will be sold.
He claimed that he would first approach the Department of Drug Administration after the industry started going for sale of houses after going into loss and would go to the Ministry of Health And Population if the department did not understand the matter. He also mentioned that the Department of Drug Management is the char dham for medicines. Chairman Pradhan said that if the Ministry of Health does not listen to him, then the Prime Minister will go to other ministries (finance, industry) and from there too if there is hope.
He also claimed that if the complaints are not addressed by the Prime Minister, he will go for legal remedies and if justice is not done there, he will go for agitation.
“We have already told the committee that we have opened the industry keeping our homes full,” he said. After opening the industry, the industry did not benefit, if you slash the price, the industry will not benefit. When you can’t make a profit, the industry goes into losses. When the industry goes into losses, then its house starts going to the sale, in that case the people of that industry go to the Department of Drug Management saying that there is a problem. The Department of Drug Administration of my country is the Char Dham for medicine. ‘
“If it is char dham, then we will go to char dham first. If we don’t understand from there, we will go to the ministry. If the minister does not understand, we will go to other ministries. We go to the ministries of industry, finance and other ministries and plead that the country’s national investment is in crisis. If not from there, we will go to the Prime Minister. If we don’t get it from there, we will go for legal remedies. If not from there, we will agitate. Our movement is a very civilized movement,” he said.
Then by handing over the lock of the industry to the government, we will go abroad’
He said that if their complaints are not heard from anywhere, all the pharmaceutical industries in Nepal will be locked down. He said that they have invested all the money in the industry by keeping all the wealth in the bank and they have not received the bank’s loan.
He warned that 50,000 employees of the industries could not be paid salaries and they would submit a lock to the government to operate on their own.
“If not from there, we will lock the entire pharmaceutical industry in Nepal, build three huts, give one to the department, give the other to the Health Minister and give the other to the Prime Minister and say, our wealth is in all the industries, it is in all the banks, we could not even repay the bank loan, we have 50,000 employees, we could not pay the salary. We hand over the hut to them, if we can live in the country, if we can, we will become foreigners. ‘
Pharmaceutical entrepreneurs have argued that the impact of the report will create a painful environment in the days to come where people cannot get safe, effective and quality medicines when they are needed.
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