26 Mar 2013

 

Members of Parliament have lauded the Minister of Health, Dr John Seakgosing for proposing to amend the Drugs and Related Substances Act, saying it was long overdue.  

 

Contributing to the debate in Parliament on Monday, MPs spoke with one voice that the bill would be of great benefit to the nation as it would help among others to safeguard the health of Batswana.

 

Serowe South MP and also Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi said the clause on the control of the carrying out of clinical trials will help to  ensure that the health of Batswana is not put at stake due to uncontrolled and unregulated acts of those who conduct the trials.

 

She said though it would be gratifying for Botswana to be among the countries that discover remedies and cures for various ailments and conditions, it was crucial that in the quest for this, the country did not endanger the lives of its people.

 

MP for Francistown West, Mr Tshelang Masisi underscored the need for the bill to also cover the regulation and control of traditional medicines.

He decried the current state of affairs where such medicines are readily available for sale almost everywhere, saying there was need to engage experts in such medicines to help keep the situation under check. 

 

MP Masisi also raised concern about the availability and sale of the family planning pill on the streets, saying his understanding was that the pill ought to be stored in certain conditions for it to remain safe for ingestion. 

 

For his part, Boteti South MP, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake expressed discontent over the rate of advertising by traditional doctors.  He said traditionally, local traditional doctors did not advertise their services; noting however that at the moment the country is awash with all forms of advertising by traditional healers.

 

Mr Mokalake also noted that there was an advertisement of ‘multi-purpose’ drugs which were said to cure all sorts of ailments as well as perform an array of other functions unrelated to curing diseases. Such drugs, he observed were likely to end up causing complications and illnesses that cannot be treated. 

 

Making his contribution, Major General Moeng Pheto, who is MP for Kweneng East, emphasized the need for the bill not to only cover the control of traditional doctors but to also extend to churches.

 

He said there was need to ensure that pastors do not con people out of their money with unsubstantiated promises relating to such things as wealth and healing.

 

MP for Palapye, Mr Moiseraele Goya said the amendment will be of great benefit especially as Batswana were gullible in accepting without question anything of foreign origin.

 

However, he stated that the bill should have specified the process to be followed in instances where complainants are not satisfied with the decisions of the Appeals Committee.

 

Still on the same bill, MP Isaac Mabiletsa of Kgatleng East highlighted the need for scientific research on traditional medicines with the view to establish their medicinal properties and value as well as to highlight the possible consequences of their use. 

 

He said the Ministry of Health could engage local universities to help traditional doctors improve their vocation by helping establish among others, standard descriptive measurements of traditional medicines, the lack of which he said, made such medicines prone to either under or over-dosage.

 

Also in support of the bill, Ngami MP, Mr Taolo Habano welcomed the proposed amendment, expressing optimism that it would address the current situation where knowledge of how to create questionable and at times hazardous drugs was growing.

 

MP for Maun West, Mr Tawana Moremi also commended the minister for bringing the bill to Parliament. He said pharmaceutical trade licenses should state explicitly that a person trained to dispense drugs should at all times be present on the premises to guard against scenarios where untrained personnel issue prescribed drugs.

 

Mr Moremi further called for the prohibition of advertising by traditional doctors. Earlier, Minister Seakgosing had presented a bill seeking to amend the Drugs and Related Substances Act of 1992 with the view to addressing some of its deficiencies.ENDS