LMHRA Inspectors at various Pharmacies & Health Facilities
As part of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) plan for a healthy nation, the institution has conducted an intensive 10-day robust unannounced inspection of unregistered, expired, substandard, and falsified medicines, to ensure that pharmacies and health facilities in the country are in line with the regulatory functions of the authority.
From June 3-21 2024, the Inspectorate and Post-Market Surveillance Department along with the Communications Unit, dispatched three separate teams of Inspectors and Communications officers, to inspect and document in various parts of Montserrado County, inspecting pharmacies and health facilities in a bid to ensure that the sales of expired, substandard, and falsified medicines and health products are not in these facilities and that all regulatory functions are being fully adhered to.
During the inspection, Team “A” toured various facilities in Central Monrovia, at the same time, Team “B” engaged facilities along Bushrod Island, and Team “C” toured the Paynesville belt.
The unannounced routine inspections by the LMHRA were carried out at local clinics, hospitals, private and public facilities, wholesale, retail distributors, pharmacies, and dispensing points in health facilities.
The use and sales of unregistered, substandard, and falsified medicines and health products have become critical and widespread to the extent that it tolls the country's population and now with a greater concern for the health and wellbeing of all inhabitants.
Substandard and falsified medicines and health products may cause harm to patients and fail to treat the diseases for which they were intended. Thus leading to the loss of confidence in medicines, healthcare providers, and the health systems.
While on the field, it was noticed that some facilities complied with the LMHRA’s regulations, while some went contrary to the regulations.
The non-compliance entities have been scheduled to visit the head office of the LMHRA to regularize their status as it relates to medicines registration and adherence to all regulatory functions of the authority.
Many people are accustomed to infiltrating the market with fake medicines and health products across Liberia and its borders as a means of trade, thus leading to the infiltration and the sales of unregistered, substandard, and falsified medicines and health products around the country.
LMHRA is armed by an Act of Legislature with the authorization to ensure that medicines supply systems are safe, effective, and of good quality to reach the Liberian public and to protect the Liberian public from the harmful effects of substandard and falsified medicines and health products.