The Plateau House Assembly (PLHA) on Monday, passed a bill for a law to establish the Drug and Medical Commodities Management Agency aimed at ensuring access to quality and affordable drugs in public health facilities across the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the house had on October 8, 2019, committed the bill to the House Committee on Health for further scrutiny.
Health Committee Chairman, Mr Daniel Listick, who presented the committee’s report during plenary, said that the committee organised a public hearing on November 28, 2019, to seek oral and written inputs of stakeholders.
Listick said that the agency would serve as the only source of quality, affordable and accessible drugs and other health commodities for the entire state-owned primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities.
“It will carry out the manufacture of quality and affordable drugs and other consumables.
“Develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide the operations of the agency,’’ he said.
Speaker of the assembly, Abok Ayuba, accepted the report of the committee at plenary before the eventual passage of the bill.
Ayuba directed the clerk of the house to prepare a clean copy of the bill and forward to Gov. Simon Lalong for assent.
NAN reports that the assembly also during the plenary, deliberated on the threats posed by COVID-19 with two confirmed cases recorded in Nigeria.
They urged the state government to activate the rapid response team and fully equip it to enable the team to handle the disease should it found itself into the state.
The house also resolved that an isolation centre be established at Plateau Specialist Hospital to handle COVID-19 cases.