Task Force Formed to Set Prices for 260 Essential Medicines

The government has decided to fix the prices of 260 essential medicines in the country, aiming to make these medicines more affordable for the public.

To implement this initiative, an 18-member special task force has been formed. The task force will hold its first meeting on Tuesday (August 19), where discussions will focus on updating the list of medicines, determining reasonable prices, and ensuring fair profits for manufacturers.

Multiple sources from the Ministry of Health stated that although prices of essential medicines have been set at different times in the past, effective control was not achieved. This time, a strong national authority is being proposed, headed by an official with ministerial rank.

The government has involved the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in this process. However, no representatives of medicine manufacturers have been included in the task force. Md. Zakir Hossain, Secretary of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries and Managing Director of Delta Pharma Limited, expressed concern, saying, “Excluding medicine producers will harm doctors, patients, and manufacturers alike. Pricing must consider not only raw material costs but also research, quality control, and modernization expenses.”

Research indicates that 44 Taka out of every 100 Taka spent on healthcare in Bangladesh goes to medicines, compared to a global average of 15%. According to the 2022 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, high medicine prices have pushed around 6.13 million people below the poverty line.

In 2016, a list of 286 essential medicines was prepared, but prices were fixed for only 117. Although the list was supposed to be updated annually, effective monitoring has not taken place in the past nine years.

This information was shared in an office order signed by Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Health, on Sunday. The order stated that the task force was formed as part of the Health Reform Commission’s recommendations and the government’s export diversification strategy.

Other members of the committee include representatives from Bangladesh Bank, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, National Board of Revenue (NBR), Directorate General of Drug Administration, the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Dhaka University, the Department of Applied Chemistry at Jahangirnagar University, and two representatives from the Bangladesh API and Intermediaries Manufacturers Association.