Drug store owners association of Malawi has spit fire, brushing the government through the Pharmacy Medicine and Regulatory Authority for its biased and harsh treatment towards local legal drug sales in the country on a presser earlier today.
During the presser, Chairperson Mr Prescott Choso addressed the media with a number of issues. The grouping expressed concerns with the Pharmacy medicine and Regulatory Authority of Malawi’s (PMRA) for its unbecoming behavior. Among the issues the Drug store owners claims that the certification process is very expensive for the locals, when they are inspecting they harrass workers including ladies working in the drug stores by searching them on the bossom, a behavior which is against their ethics and code of conduct. It was recommended to the government to fire the Director of the regulatory authority (MPRA) and provide a reasonable play ground for Pharmacies and Drug stores.
“We are looking for favourable playing ground in our business to operate freely, we operate drug stores legally, we registered these businesses but we are surprised with sudden change of policies from PMRA recently, we are not allowed to sell some drugs and 90% of the drugs we sell are taken out from our respective stores. However the same drugs are found in various big shops and supermarkets. We provide social services in urban and rural areas where government lacks to provide such services due to failure to provide free drugs like pain killers.” Said Mr Choso
In his words, Mr Choso claims the government has displayed its total selfishness eyeing to close all drug stores.
Drug stores and Pharmacies are the last resort every Malawi go to after government hospitals can not afford to provide free drugs. Mr choso claims the burden is just too huge for them to pay taxes, pay salaries, register drug stores which cost about 4million kwacha.
Drug stores has an employment rate of about 65,000 Malawians, where currently about 100 drug stores are closed without proper reasons.
Drug store owners have given government 14 days to fire the Director for PMRA or face the next undisclosed course of action.
More details avantmalawi.com