Bahrain to streamline drug control

TDT | Manama        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Mahir Haneef

The difficult task of regulating medicines that could cause an addiction while ensuring their availability for medical purposes was the topic of discussion at the Bahrain Shura Council yesterday, with the council passing a law to streamline the process by limiting the powers to a single entity, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA).

A decree law (No. 12 of 2023) to amend an article in 2009 legislation (Law No. 38 of 2009) was considered by the Shura Council. The committee’s rapporteur, Hala Ramzy Fayez, explained that the amendment aims to appoint the NHRA as the regulatory authority, in place of the Ministry of Health, to control the distribution of narcotic substances and psychotropic substances for medicinal purposes.

There is an urgent need to set up such controls for the entry of such medicines into the Kingdom, she said. Through the amendment, a single body will be issuing all drug licences, including regular and narcotic, so that a speedy system of drug licencing will be in place, the rapporteur stated.

This would prevent overlapping jurisdictions, procedures, and requirements for the entry of drugs into the Kingdom, she said. MP Dalal Jasim Abdulla AlZayed submitted that, along with designating the NHRA as the authority responsible, the fees paid for obtaining drug licences or renewing drug licences should also be allocated to the authority.

Pointing out that the pharmaceutical industry in the GCC is worth nearly 20 billion US dollars, MP Dr. Jehad Abdullah Mohammed Alfadhel said a large percentage of medicines are being imported to the Kingdom.

Designating the NHRA as the authority for drug licencing will help in setting up pharmaceutical production in the Kingdom, which would result in jobs for the people, she said.

While agreeing with the proposal for a unified drug-licencing authority, MP Dr. Bassam Ismail Ebrahim Albinmohamed said Bahrain is not immune to the global problem of a shortage of drugs, and some medicines have not been available in the Kingdom for long periods.

He called for radical solutions to address the issue, including allowing imports at higher quantities or initiating local manufacturing. Calling attention to the problem of drug addictions, MP Abdulla Ali Fadhul Mohana AlNoaimi proposed a system to track people with drug addictions through coordination of efforts by the Ministry of Interior and NHRA.

Supporting the call for a coordinated effort to tackle drug abuse, MP Khalid Hussain Al Maskati pointed out that the NHRA would have the role of both an implementing agency and a controlling agency at the same time.

Minister of Health, H.E. Dr. Jalila bint Al Sayyed Jawad Hassan Jawad, who was present at the council session, said the amendment is to unify the licencing body and the controlling body, but the government wing that is responsible for importing drugs (the Health Insurance Fund) is different.

The law on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances also contains provisions to ensure separation of powers and no overlapping of powers, the minister assured the council. Following the debate, the amendment was put to vote by the Shura Council, and it was passed with a majority approving the amendment.