Moving away from its earlier stance, the Private Members Bills and Resolutions Committee of the Kerala State Legislative Assembly will soon advise the government to establish a drug distribution system under the control of state medical supply corporation incorporating the wholesale traders also, in order to make all the drugs available in every hospital, said T N Prathapan MLA, chairman of the committee.
Earlier his suggestion to the government was that the operations of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd should be revamped to take up the whole distribution system where in the retailers could be involved. He made several comments in the state assembly that the Chemists and Druggists Association in Kerala was monopolizing the drug market and increasing the prices of all medicines indiscriminately.
In the report presented in the assembly on June 21, the Committee recommended the government to cancel the registered status of All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA), an affiliate of AIOCD. But the member of the Assembly on June 22 told this reporter that his committee would study the distribution system followed by other states, especially in Tamil Nadu and in Haryana, but does not want to avoid the role of wholesalers.
He said his committee or government do not want to chuck out the wholesalers from the pharma market as they are also part of the established distribution system. His committee intends to submit a report to the government in this regard soon, he told Pharmabiz.
When asked how the KMSCL could supply all sorts of medicines for the whole requirements of the state, Prathapan said the Corporation will seek the help of retailers, if necessary. Regarding procurement of drugs, his comment was that Corporation would source the drugs directly from major manufacturing companies and supply them to the retailers and to the wholesalers. According to him the present government in the state does not want to ruin the lives of the people working in the wholesale units.
About drug supply in government hospitals, the assembly committee suggests ways for opening more number of Karunya Pharmacies in all the hospitals. The government started the Karunya Community Pharmacies last year with a view to provide 20 to 60 per cent discounts on the cost of all branded prescription drugs to benefit the common public. But so far only two such units could be established in the state.