By Aggrey Twesigye
The National Drug Authority (NDA) has cautioned the public against what it describes as the unlawful licensing of drug shops by the Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC).
According to the NDA Public Relations Manager, Abiaz Rwamwiri, the National Drug Authority is the only legally mandated body authorised to license all drug retail outlets in Uganda, as provided for under the National Drug Policy and Authority Act.
Rwamwiri said the authority has noted with concern letters and a public notice allegedly issued by the Allied Health Professionals Council indicating that it had commenced the registration and licensing of drug shops to be managed by dispensers seeking to engage in private practice.
He clarified that licensing entities involved in the retail sale of medicines to the public, including drug shops, is the sole statutory mandate of the National Drug Authority under Ugandan law.
Rwamwiri warned that the actions of the Allied Health Professionals Council raise serious legal and public health concerns, noting that such practices contravene public law, create a fragmented regulatory environment, and risk increasing the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines.
He advised the Allied Health Professionals Council to immediately halt the registration and licensing exercise and warned members of the public against participating, cautioning that doing so could attract regulatory action, including prosecution.
