In the new year, antibiotic tablets and life-saving medicines, including insulin for diabetics, increased unbridled. And the government is holding a meeting on Tuesday (February 27) to determine the price of this drug. And the matter of the meeting has been confirmed by the spokesperson and deputy director of the Department of Medicine Administration, Nurul Alam.
He said that the meeting will be held on Tuesday at 2:30 PM in the meeting room of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to determine the price of medicines.
Regarding the increase in the price of new drugs, the spokesperson of the Department of Drug Administration said that the issue of price increases has been discussed for a long time. However, no one has formally appealed to us regarding the price hike. However, the representatives of various organizations of producers have been claiming that the dollar crisis, the importation of raw materials for medicine, and the cost of production and packaging have increased. If someone makes a written proposal, then a decision will be taken after scrutiny. How much can the price be increased or adjusted?
He said, But our main target is the people of the country; we have to give priority to them. Therefore, as much as possible, a decision will be taken after discussion.
Earlier, a notice signed by Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman, assistant secretary of the service department of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said that the secretary of the health service department said. A meeting of the drug price determination committee will be held in the meeting room of the ministry on February 27 (Tuesday at 2.30 pm) under the chairmanship of Jahangir Alam.
Senior Secretary of Ministry of Commerce, Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Director General of Health Department, Director General of Medicine Administration Department, Director General of Central Pharmacy (CMSD), Joint Secretary/Deputy Secretary (Medicine Administration) of Health Services Department, former professor of Medicine Department of Dhaka Medical College Md. Azizul Kahhar, President of Bangladesh Consumers Association, President of Bangladesh Medical Association, and President of Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Society or a suitable representative are requested to attend the meeting on time.
According to the sources of the Department of Drug Administration, more than 1500 essential drugs (life-saving drugs) and more than 27 thousand brands of drugs are produced in the country. Of these, 219 drugs are included in the list of essential drugs. The government fixed the maximum retail price of 117 medicines. All other drugs are priced by the manufacturing companies. But once, the government used to set the price of medicines at more than two hundred thousand. But that number is now down.
According to the information from the department, the prices of various medicines were increased twice in 2022. There, the prices of 53 brands of 20 generics widely used in primary health care increased.
However, the shopkeepers of the capital’s pharmacy said that the price of at least 50 types of medicines has increased from 5 percent to 40 percent in the last two months. Among these, the prices of antibiotic tablets, insulin, and injections for diabetic patients have increased the most. Also, the prices of various medicines, including heart disease, high blood pressure problems, vitamins, and asthma, have increased from 50 paisa to 5 taka per piece. Fever-cold tablets, capsules, and syrups for various ailments are not left out.
