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NMRA withholds licences of 60 pharmacies, emphasises need for qualified personnel
View(s):The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has withheld the renewal of licences of 60 private pharmacies till they prove that they employ a qualified pharmacist in their business, Chief Executive Officer Saveen Semage said.
The vetting process was done when the pharmacies came to the regulator for their annual licence renewal. Those who could not substantiate that they had qualified pharmacists on their premises were not granted a renewal. “We are now looking strictly at whether this is adhered to,” Dr. Semage said, adding that a lot of harm was done by unqualified personnel handing out medication.
There are around 5,000 private pharmacies in the country. The NMRA has decided that from next year, licence renewal will be required every three years instead of annually. “When we do it every year, a huge backlog is created and we are all the time doing paperwork,” he explained. “Instead, our staff should go out and inspect pharmacies physically.”
The annual licence renewal requirement also bogs down pharmacies in documentation. Meanwhile, the NMRA is also trying to speed up new registration of drugs, manufacturers, suppliers, etc, to increase competition in the field and to get better prices and save money during tenders, Dr. Semage said.
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