Kerala govt to form company for drug trade

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government will form a company for procuring and supplying medicines to making quality medicines available at affordable prices to the common man.

Health Minister PK Sreemathi told the assembly on Friday that it had come to the government's notice that a cartel was functioning in the state to procure and supply drugs, and action would be taken against it.

She was replying to a calling attention motion on the necessity to take immediate steps to supply quality drugs at fair prices.

The government's objective is to eliminate corruption in the procurement and supply of medicines, and the help of the State Pharmacy Council will also be sought in this venture, she said.

The government will strengthen its mechanism to check the quality of medicines distributed in the state. More laboratories to check the quality of medicines will be opened.

Raising the matter, VS Sunil Kumar (CPI-M) alleged that the All Kerala Drugs and Chemists Association is controlling the drug trade in the state in connivance with officials of the state drug department.