Amid concerns of drug theft in Malawi, government has disclosed to have finalized paperwork on the new Pharmacy and Medicines bill that seeks to curb the malpractice.
This comes at a time when cases of drugs are reported to be on the increase in Malawi, something that has been described as worrisome by the international community.
But government through Ministry of Health has disclosed that once the bill becomes law, drug thieves are to get custodial sentences and there will be no options for lenient fines as is the case now.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Dan Namalika said all the paperwork for the bill has been finalized and what remains is to table it.
“Remember issues of drugs are issues of money and if one is charged with K500,000 he has to pull it from the pocket immediately, custodial sentence and increasing penalties is the way to go,” said Namalika.
He added that drugs that are being heavily stolen include those for Malaria and tuberculosis.
A week ago, American Embassy in Malawi through a press statement expressed worry over the magnitude of drug theft in the country.
