Senaka Bibile's drug policy, a reality soon

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The long awaited Prof. Senaka Bibile's concept of the National Drug policy which will relieve the burden of a large number of poor patients will see the light of the day at last when it will be taken up for debate in Parliament next month.

We will not go back on our pledge and drag our feet in implementing the national drug policy which will entail the regulation of imports and rational use of medicinal drugs in the country, said Health Ministry Secretary Dr. D.M.R.B. Dissanayake.

Prof. Senake Bibile who pioneered the concept in the early 1970's provides affordable, safe and efficacious medicinal drugs to patients. The draft Bill of the national drug policy went from pillar to post for over a decade with policymakers of the previous governments reluctant to implement the policy that would bring drastic changes to the import and prescription of medicinal drugs in the country.

The policy contains the import, sale and prescription of only generic drugs. According to a spokesman for the Movement of the Rights of Patients', around 10,000 varieties of branded drugs are imported at a staggering cost to the economy. The World Health Organisation has listed around 350 as essential drugs.

'We are happy that at last the Bill will be taken up for debate that would put an end to the drug mafia that has plundered the wealth of the country and made access to healthcare to the affluent class, the PRM spokesman said.

Multi-national drug companies have thrived on the woes of poor patients by bribing doctors and pharmacists to promote costly branded drugs, the spokesman said Bibile's contribution to development in the area of drugs was acknowledged during the 35th World Health Assembly, in Geneva in May 1982. His policy states that the number of essential drugs is around 1,000.

The draft Bill of the national drug policy was tabled in Parliament last month following Cabinet approval.