(Jamaica Observer) - Cases of fraud have developed in the area of pharmaceutical drug prescriptions locally as demand for medicines increase, Finance Minister Audley Shaw said on Monday.

According to Shaw, unscrupulous persons have been using forged prescriptions to acquire specific drugs, which they are reselling at a profit.

“Some people are apparently getting illegally written prescriptions to get certain types of drugs then take those on the black market,” he said at the launch of the Basic Needs Trust Fund Programme Six (BNTF6) held at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

Shaw contended that the racket involving prescription drugs was born out of the higher demand as more people were visiting public hospitals since the removal of the user fees.

He said that the availability and supply of drugs would be addressed in the upcoming budget debate. “We are going to be dealing with that in terms of the financing,” said Shaw.

“We also have to ensure we source drugs at cheaper costs internationally,” he told participants at the launch.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica up to press time last night, however, did not confirm or deny incidents of fraud in the industry.