Yangon Region Government is organizing township-based inspection teams to examine the medical stores to ensure the price of medicines not to rise during the third wave of COVID-19 in accordance with the instructions of State Administration Council. In doing so, the combined team that includes the officials of township general administration department, police force, criminal force, bureau of special investigation, consumer affairs department, FDA, township public health departments and municipal department inspected 24 medicine warehouses together with the relevant ward administrators, warehouse owners and collected the remaining materials, inventory, and also checked whether they have permits, they used to import and sell medicines in the past, they now purchase or store the medicines, and whether the medicines are under control or intended for profits. They did not check the medicine wholesale shops in Mingala market, Shwe Pyae Sone market, Theingyi and Bogyoke market not to affect their daily transactions.
During the inspection, the joint inspection team allows the free delivery of medicines by marking the lists of goods to be shipped and the place of delivery so as not to affect the regular sale of medicines. On 11 August, the inspection team inspected all 24 warehouses and so the medicine prices drastically declined.
Of the 24 medicine warehouses under inspection in the first batch, it found that sales of medicines at nine warehouses were controlled with the aim of rising prices, lack of documents for local and foreign procurement and due to the large amount of stockpiled, the medicines were kept to manipulate the prices, and so such warehouses will face legal actions in accordance with the law.
The pharmacies that sell the medicines at normal prices must sign a form promising not to increase the medicine prices, not to control the distributions in the market and not to sell for profits. The companies that import the medicines in accordance with the procedures will not face any actions.
The joint inspection team also raided 19 medicine warehouses yesterday.—MNA
