Bribe for every service: TIB:Daily Star

Corruption and irregularity rule the country's drug administration, where money can buy licences and registrations for low-quality, counterfeit medicines. And while the Directorate General of Drug Administration's (DGDA) regulatory mechanism is weak, many of its officials and employees join hands with unscrupulous officials of medicine companies to indulge in corruption, a Transparency Internation
al Bangladesh study reveals. DGDA officials take bribes ranging from Tk 500 to 15 lakh from medicine companies for various services. Major corruption takes place in issuance and renewal of drug licences as well as handover and change of ownerships, according to the study. “It is a matter of serious concern,” said TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, after presentation of the survey findings at a press conference at its office in the capital yesterday. Titled “Governance in the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), Challenges and Ways Out,” the survey was conducted between March last year and January this year. Iftekharuzzaman said they already shared the findings with the DGDA, adding, “It could not deny that illegal transactions of money take place, but disagreed on the amount.” The country's pharmaceutical industry meets 97 percent of the local demand for medicine and has been exporting quality medicines to many countries, he said. Advertisement But many companies do not follow proper practices in making drugs for the local market and produce counterfeit, fake and unnecessary medicines, he added. Shahnur Rahman, TIB programme manager (research and policy), said, “Project evaluation committee officials dillydally to convene their meetings. They demand bribes [from companies] for presenting their applications [seeking approval] at the meeting.” Some influential members of the evaluation committees approve licences and drugs, flouting rules and in exchange for bribes and gifts, he added. In some cases, officials certify drugs even when manufacturers do not have proper equipment, quality control mechanisms and technicians, the TIB found. Also, drug superintendents approve drug licences without inspecting drug stores. This allows sales of illegal, poor quality and counterfeit medicines. “Some companies use sub-standard raw materials to make medical products for the local markets, but quality materials for the foreign markets,” Shahnur said. On the other hand, a number of influential companies form syndicates to influence the DGDA to secure approval for importing raw materials and fixing drug prices. They even start marketing drugs well before they get permission. The study report says the DGDA has some legal shortcomings as well. For example, the Drug Act 1940 and Drug (control) Ordinance 1982 do not specify the standards of medical devices, food supplements and cosmetics. As a result, it cannot take action against those importing and marketing risky and low-quality products. The regulations for enforcing the Drug (control) Ordinance have not been formulated in the past 32 years. Moreover, the laws do not specify the number of committees of the DGDA, their methods of work or qualifications of their members. As a result, members are included on political considerations, creating conflicts of interests. The DGDA fails to check corruption and irregularities because punishments under the laws are light, the report said. On top of that, the drug administration has fund and manpower shortages. Only 0.18 percent of the country's health budget is spent for regulatory activities compared to 5.25 percent in India and 0.8 percent in Pakistan. At least 38 percent of the approved posts of the DGDA are vacant. For this, officials fail to inspect two-thirds of the drug stores and test quality of many drugs. Also, it has no office in 12 districts. The cases filed by the DGDA take long to settle, which functions as an obstacle to improving governance in the drug administration. During 2008-14, only 17 of the 78 cases were disposed of. TIB Trustee Board Chairperson Sultana Kamal has linked the drug administration's weak governance to the overall governance situation in the country. “But drug is something very much linked to our life. So, the authorities must look at it very seriously,” she said. The TIB suggested amending drug-related laws, increasing manpower and logistics of the DGDA, introducing one-stop and online services for companies and drug stores and taking tough action against law-breakers.