Thailand asked to help develop Sri Lanka's public health

BANGKOK, May 21 (TNA) - Public Health Minister Dr. Pradit Sintawanarong says that Sri Lanka has asked Thailand to help develop drug procurement and production in the South Asian nation to meet the globally-recognized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard and to help fight against dengue fever. Dr. Pradit told TNA on Tuesday that he has met his Sri Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena at the 66th World Health Assembly, being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 20-28, and the latter has made the request, as Sri Lanka can now produce only over 40 items of medicines. Dr. Pradit said that the Sri Lankan public health minister also asked Thailand to offer technical assistance on the treatment of dengue fever because the number of dengue fever patients has been increasing in Sri Lanka and he has, therefore, assigned his ministry's Department of Medical Services and Department of Disease Control to provide the assistance as requested. The Thai health minister acknowledged that the pharmaceutical organizations of Thailand and Sri Lanka will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the cooperation in the near future, possibly before Thai Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to Sri Lanka, and that under the MOU, the Thai Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) will supply medications it produces to Sri Lanka under government-to-government deals. For standard drug production and distribution, the Thai health minister noted, the Thai Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association will work them out with a similar association in Sri Lanka and the cooperation will cover the production and distribution of saline solution, as a Thai saline solution plant in which the GPO is a shareholder will raise its annual production capacity to nearly 100 million bottles and the production will meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to the public health minister, Thailand has, meanwhile, nominated Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Narong Sahametapat to the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and he hopes Thailand's participation in the board will strengthen regional and global disease control, given the Thai Kingdom's experiences and success in implementing measures against the diseases. Currently, Sri Lanka is the chair of the global fund board. (TNA)