Govt warns against unchecked hikes in drug prices
Photo: Agamir Somoy
State Minister for Health Prof. Dr. MA Muhit has urged pharmaceutical owners and stakeholders to ensure sustainable development of the country’s pharmaceutical industry while keeping drug prices within the purchasing capacity of ordinary people. He said protecting the interests of the industry is important, but medicine prices cannot be raised arbitrarily at any time, as that would put both the public and the government in difficulty.
He made the remarks on Monday afternoon as the chief guest at a meeting titled “Strengthening Capacity in the Health Sector” held at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka. The event was jointly organized by the Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the World Bank.
In his speech, the state minister highlighted the context in which the current government assumed office. “We have been in office for only two to two-and-a-half months. We took responsibility following a long period of anticipation and a mass uprising. Public expectations are extremely high. But after taking charge, we have found the entire health sector in a state of disrepair,” he said.
He also described the poor condition of hospitals across the country. “In the past five to seven years, many hospitals have not received even basic maintenance. Some have buildings but no equipment, while others face shortages of medicines. We are working under this enormous challenge, and on top of that, global adverse conditions have added further pressure,” he said.
Emphasizing a balanced policy on drug pricing, M.A. Muhit said pharmaceutical companies are business entities and must have profits. He noted that while it is not right to keep medicine prices unchanged for years despite rising costs elsewhere, it is equally unacceptable to allow unchecked price hikes at any time. “Our main goal is to maintain a balance so that neither the public nor the government suffers,” he said.
“We are a democratic government. We are accountable to the people. We want to ensure minimum healthcare services and life-saving medicines for citizens. We understand your challenges and want to resolve them quickly. If we do not solve these issues collectively, both the industry and the country will suffer,” he added.
The event was attended by Directorate General of Health Services Director General Dr. Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Additional Secretary of the Ministry Saiful ATM Islam, along with representatives from the private health sector, pharmaceutical industry owners, and senior officials of the ministry.
