The Surinamese Minister of Health Amar Ramadhin is a strong proponent of redistributing unused medication in Suriname, which would otherwise be destroyed in the Netherlands.
This is evident from a letter from the minister to Logistics Community Brabant (LCB), which had to end a pilot last year. This happened after a warning from the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ), because the reissue of unused, returned medicines is not allowed according to European regulations. During the pilot, 200,000 euros worth of unused medication was collected in Brabant and, after verification, donated to the Bureau Geneesmiddelen Supply Suriname, which imports and distributes medicines for all hospitals and pharmacies in Suriname, among other things.
With the letter, Ramadhin responds to a motion by MPs Eva van Esch (PvdD) and Corinne Ellemeet (GroenLinks) that was adopted at the end of March. In it they call for the LCB pilot to be expanded, so that the project can make a new start. According to Minister Ramadhin, the previous support from the Netherlands came as a gift from heaven, it saved lives and prevented a lot of suffering. He therefore hopes that the pilot can be continued.
Ramadhin points out in his letter that the situation in the healthcare sector in Suriname is ‘quite worrying’ as a result of the serious financial and economic crisis. According to him, there is a great need for medication and medical consumables, for which there are not always financial resources. Ramadhin says that because he is a GP himself, he has a good idea of ​​the positive impact of the delivery of unused, returned medication. He is therefore in favor of setting up a Regional Expertise Center for redistribution of medication with relevant parties in Suriname and the Netherlands. This would also allow Suriname and the Netherlands to set an example for other countries in the world.
Whether the project will be restarted, despite the adoption of the motion, is still unknown, says project leader Jan Akkermans of LCB. Akkermans: ‘It is now up to the minister to see what he will do with it. Many motions are passed and then nothing happens. In any case, no promises have been made yet. It’s a delicate subject. We are pleased with the letter from Minister Ramadhin, because it indicates how relevant the project has been for Suriname. He emphasizes the seriousness of the current situation in Suriname, where residents really have to contend with medication shortages.’
Read more about LCB’s previous pilot and the destruction of unused, returned medication in the Netherlands in the Medisch Contact article Trucks full of medicines end up in the incinerator.
