By Yunus S Saliu
As part of its activities to ensure public health safety, and fight against substandard and falsified medicines in the country, the Medicine Control Agency (MCA) unit under the Ministry of Health Thursday conducted a disposal exercise by setting ablaze seized illegal imported medical products. The disposal exercise was held at the Old Cape Point Road, Cape Point, Bakau.
These disposed and burnt medical products were seized illegal medical products that were illegally imported or found in illegal premises.
Speaking at the conducted exercise, Tijan Jallow, Director of Operations at the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) gave an in-depth background of MCA and its main mandate.
He disclosed that medicines are not any ordinary article of commerce, noting in most instances, consumers are not in a position to make decisions about when to use medicines, which medicines to use, and how to use them while weighing potential benefits against risks as no medicine is completely safe.
More so, he explained, expired and poor-quality medicines can result in therapeutic failure, resistance to medicines, and sometimes death, “Pharmaceutical waste (unused/expired drugs) undermines confidence in health systems.”
Calling for collaboration among MCA and stakeholders, he said they are ensuring that every medicine that is coming into the country is of high quality, safe, and efficacious.
Dr. Omar Gaye, Registrar of the Pharmacy Council outlined the MCA mandate which included regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, use, control of advertisements, and promotion of medicines and related products “concerning ensuring their quality, safety, and efficacy.
He added that the pharmaceutical council was in partnership with the MCA to carry out the exercise while assuring the public that medicines that are sold on their premises are of good quality, and are safe and efficacious.
Dr. Mustapha Bittaye, Director of Health Service at the Ministry of Health thanked both local and international partners while appreciating their good work and support.
He said the disposal exercise is just one of the mandates of the Ministry to ensure that all drugs consumed in this country are safe. “And we do this through our agencies and we are happy that they are doing their work, though it might have brought them lots of enemies, but they are getting a pat on the back from the Minister of Health,” he commended them.
Among other people, Dr. Jerreah Sayang, MCA Board Chairman, Dr. Selassi Dalmeida, WHO Country Representative, and Essa Marenah, Acting Executive Director of MCA gave some remarkable speeches during the exercise