The seven-storey building located on Camp Street is the site of intense construction. The steel superstructure had been untouched for several years.
IPA in September of last year filed a motion in the High Court challenging the prequalification process to supply drugs for the health sector as unconstitutional and seeking to have the decision to select the New GPC as the lone supplier set aside. The prequalification requirements were seen as heavily stacked in favour of NGPC which had close ties to the former government.
An official at IPA speaking recently with Stabroek News explained that while IPA had met all the administrative requirements, according to the prequalification requirements, it failed in the areas of storage capacity and quality information; which required the ability to perform laboratory tests to ascertain the quality of the products being supplied.
Work has begun in earnest on what is intended to be the head office of the International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA) Group of Companies.
“These requirements are presently heavily biased in favour of manufacturers. Why would a distributor need a lab? Why would a distributor perform a quality audit?
Further, if you are the Ministry of Health and you order something from me why do I need so much storage? Is it not your responsibility to store what I supply?” the official explained.
As they prepare to finish construction and relocate to their new offices the members of the IPA team are looking forward to the end of single sourcing not just in the Health Sector as promised by Minster of Public Health George Norton but also to its end in every sector as promised by Minister of State Joe Harmon.
