HEALTH AT ODDS WITH POLICE ON DRUGS

THE Health Department does not have records indicating an order for
the importation of two chemicals to allegedly needed produce an illicit.

Deputy Health Secretary, Isaac Ake said the department had copies of
letters ordering methamphetamine from India but he said they were from
the Police Department.

Dr Ake said the Health Department was the only competent and
legitimate body that can order drugs from countries that manufactured
them.

He said the Health Minister was the only person who had the power
under the Medicines and Cosmetics Act to authorise the importation of
drugs. This Act was approved by Parliament last year.

The Act also allows for a certain amount of drug and this is
controlled by the International Narcotics Bureau. Dr Ake said there
was no company in the country that could manufacture such drugs.

"In PNG there is no company that has been given a permit to produce
drugs. The reason is that we have to meet international standards by
meeting strict guidelines on manufacturing drugs. The country does not
have an internal market to allow intending companies to make profit."

Reports from another newspaper stated the Police Minister and the
National Narcotics Bureau had approved the importation of chemicals to
produce mathemphetamine.

But Minister, Mathias Karani denied the chemicals were for the
production of methamphetamine.

In a statement he said: "The high qualities of raw pseudoepedrine
drugs, about 4000kg, which are semi processed, were supposed to be
imported would primarily be processed as pharmaceutical or medical
drugs for the use of curing chronic diseases such as asthma,
bronchitis and other cough medicines popular among Papua New Guineans.

"These are preventable diseases and people can be cured, however with
cheaper drugs, many of our populace can have access to and have their
diseases cured. And this is the crux of the issue in importing cheaper
raw drugs and processing them locally so that people can be able to
pay for them at a more subsidised price," he said.

He said he always stood for a drug-free society and that his
involvement and approval to ensure that these drugs were imported for
processing medical drugs in PNG were based on a clear conscience for
the well being of people.

Mr Karani added he had no sinister motives attached to his involvement
because the social, economic and medical benefits these locally
manufactured drugs would have on PNG were enormous.