Parliament urges FDA, stakeholders to end media war

The Parliamentary Committee on Health has urged the Foods and Drugs Authority (FDA) and stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector to put an end to the unhealthy media encounters saying, “We deem it as unnecessary and unhelpful”.

The Committee said it had taken serious note of the development and its inquiry into the activities of all the parties is exposing “real issues that can potentially affect the health of all residents in Ghana”.

But it cautioned that due attention should be paid to the reputation and integrity of business concerns until they are proved guilty of any offence.

A statement issued in Accra on Thursday by the Committee advised that pending the publication of guidelines by the FDA to detail out procedures and processes in the registration of food, medicine, herbal preparations and medical devices, stakeholders should observe due diligence in order not to undermine the provisions of the Public Health Act.

The Committee thus urged all parties to cooperate in the ongoing inquiry to create the congenial atmosphere for the resolution of all issues.

It called on the FDA to consider granting a moratorium of at least three months to all affected manufacturers and importers of food, medicines, herbal preparations and medical devices to bring their products into compliance as required under the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851.

The Committee also counseled the security and law enforcement agencies to be discreet and tactful in their efforts to investigate and enforce the law in consonance with the rule of law and due process.

“We believe that only painstaking investigations will lead to successful prosecution of offenders”, the committee said.

Source: GNA