The authorities must put an end to the monopoly of certain importers regarding medicines so that the prices of these products are more accessible to the population. This was made clear by Xavier Luc Duval in a press conference on Tuesday, July 13, who added that the prices of several drugs have risen significantly in recent weeks. The leader of the Opposition maintains that it is in relation to this situation that he based his PNQ. According to Xavier Luc Duval, “The Minister of Health has shown a total lack of respect for the National Assembly, his position as Leader of the Opposition and the patients knowing that no increase in pension has been made. Minister Kailesh Jagutpal has only read the audit report that we have all seen. For the opposition leader, the authorities in Mauritius are protecting some drug importers at the expense of consumers.
The immediate solution would be to allow parallel imports and encourage the prescription of generic drugs instead of ‘Brand Products’ which are, according to Xavier-Luc Duval, just as effective. He believes that the authorities should conduct communication campaigns to explain generic drugs and give the population the choice. He also points out that the World Health Organization advocates the “Regressive Market”.
Solutions, which for the leader of the opposition, will alleviate household expenses. “The budget that Mauritians spend on drugs increases by 1 billion per year. In 2017, Rs 15 billion were spent on medicines from private pharmacies. The government spent Rs 11 billion. The numbers have gone up since then.”
“Minister Jagutpal’s responses following the NQP were a sad episode that infuriated members of the parliamentary opposition,” continued Xavier-Luc Duval.
He also added that in Mauritius, drugs are not tested as in other foreign countries.
Regarding the cases of Covid 19 in schools, Xavier-Luc Duval explains that closing a school after each case is a lack of planning.
