SC Tells Govt to Regulate Medicine Market

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a directive order to government authorities to reform the health sector by regulating prices of medical supplies.A division bench of justices Bala Ram KC and Top Bahadur Magar issued the order in response to a PIL filed in the apex court, seeking its intervention to regulate the prices of medicines.The bench told the authorities to form a panel and adopt a proper policy on pricing of pharmaceutical products. The bench asked the government to form the panel under the coordination of a senior official of the Nepal Medical Council and include representatives of the Ministry of Health and Pharmaceutical Management Department in teh panel.The bench told the authorities to complete the study within six months and submit a copy of the report to the apex court.The PIL was filed by advocate Jyoti Baniya. Baniya has also sought the apex court order to publish the prices of lifesaving drugs in the Nepal Gazette. Baniya claimed there was no regulation regarding the supply, quality and prices of drugs.