Lawmaker alarms fake drugs here
River Gee County District #1 Representative Johnson Toe Chea, has alarmed here of the presence of huge quantity of fake drugs on the Liberian markets, announcing plans to introduce a bill to curb the practice.
Representative Chea made the observation on a talk show when he was hosted by a local radio Truth FM 96.1 Wednesday, 8 January. He commented on numerous health related matters as well as the need to assign medical doctors at major health facilities across the country.
The lawmaker said several people are found selling drugs in buckets in the streets, without even being able to identify the kind of drugs being sold to the public for proper usage.
Besides, Representative Chea noted that laws against illegal drugs in Liberia were not as tough as those against rape so as to succeed in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
Against this background, he said upon the return of the Legislature from annual break, a bill will be introduced, seeking to make drugs abuse non-bailable crime here.
On the need for medical doctors at various health centers across the country, the lawmaker said there will be a reduction of referral medical cases if the Ministry of Health assigned doctors to major health centers.
“If even the Ministry of Health can assign medical doctors to major health centers across the country, it will even do better to reduce the number of referrals,” he said.
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When contacted for comment, the head for Montserrado County Health Team at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Fred Amagashie, confirmed the issue of drugs being sold in buckets in the streets of Liberia.
“I do see the drugs in the bucket in the street; so yes, that is a problem. We all know that the sale of drugs is not well controlled. We have a lot of medicine stores in the corners – hundreds of them,” said Dr. Amagashie.
But he said there is another body set up by government called the National Drugs Regulatory Agency, responsible to control the quality of drugs that should come into the country and how they are to be handled.
