DHAKA,Aug 29,2022 (BSS)- Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque today said the government has approved Drug Act-2022 with a provision of ten years imprisonment and Taka 10 lakh fine aiming to check substandard medicine.
 
“The cabinet has in principle approved  Drug Act-2022 with a provision of rigorous punishment and Taka 10 lakh fine for  manufacturing, stockpiling and selling of fake medicine,” he said.
 
The minister said this while responding to a query made by opposition lawmaker  Syed Abu Hossain Babla of Dhaka-4 at the question-answer session at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban herewith Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
 
The drug administration with the help of law enforcing agencies usually administer regular drive against the manufacturers of counterfeit drugs.
The drug administration in association with the Directorate of Health Services have taken various actions  during January 2021 to June 2022.
 
Under the initiatives,  3,136 cases filed through the mobile court, realized over Taka  3.66 crore as fines,104 cases filed in the magistrate courts,25 cases filed in drug courts and licenses have been cancelled of 53 fake drug manufacturers.
Meanwhile , the government has already conducted a country-wide drive against substandard private hospitals and shut down a total of 1700 private hospitals and diagnostic centers.

The government will conduct the drive regularly to bring discipline in the health sector, the minister told the parliament while responding to another supplementary query.