Only 12 of the 168 drug and medical equipment manufacturers properly follow the quality control policy of the World Health Organisation, the parliamentary standing committee on health ministry found.
The panel on Sunday also recommended legal action against 62 pharmaceutical companies for flouting the quality control policy of the World Health Organisation.
The committee made the recommendation after discussing a probe report on the activities of pharmaceutical companies prepared by a sub-committee.
The panel chief, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, said 18 companies did not follow the policy at all, 34 companies have anomalies in abiding by the policy and 10 companies partially abided by it.
'We have asked the ministry to take immediate action against the 18 companies which do not follow the policy at all,' he said.
The sub-committee formed in 2009, submitted its report to the committee at its 16th meeting held at parliament building.
The sub-committee headed by Nazmul Hasan carried out the investigation on 168 companies.
Selim said the report showed 17 drug producers were closed now, four companies produced veterinary drugs, three companies produced intravenous syringe, two companies produced various gas used in medical services and 15 companies produced raw-materials for drugs.
The committee sources said they would further discuss on the report in its next meeting.
The committee also discussed about a number of equipment purchased for different hospitals and the crisis of manpower to operate them. It suggested purchasing equipment which could be operated by the existing manpower.
The committee also suggested the ministry to create an unit for repair and maintenance of the medical equipment.
The minister for health AFM Ruhal Huq, state minister Mujibur Rahman Fakir and members of the committee Mohammad Amanullah, MA Mannan, Matiur Rahman, M Anwar Hossain, Nazmul Hasan and ZIM Mostafa Ali attended the meeting.
Source : New Age
