Trust deficit grows over free medicines in Nepal
Summary
Trust in free medicines distributed by the Nepalese government is low among patients and even healthcare professionals, with concerns over quality and procurement practices affecting usage.
Key Points
- Many patients and healthcare professionals in Nepal distrust the quality of free medicines provided by the government.
- Officials and doctors often prefer medicines from private pharmacies over government-supplied free essential medicines and health insurance medicines.
- Low-bid procurement practices lead to compromised drug quality in government supplies under the health insurance and free essential drug programmes.
- There is insufficient testing and regulation of medicines in Nepal due to budget, staffing, and technical limitations at the drug regulatory body and laboratories.
