Oro Governor Garry Juffa has challenged the National Government, to ensure that all medical drugs distributed in Papua New Guinea are guided by international standards.
His comments were made in relation to the Borneo Pacific contract.
Mr Juffa said the state must be serious when discussing health matters as a priority.
The tender process and the contract awarded to Borneo Pacific, a PNG-based company, has become an issue of debate.
The Australian Government nearly withdrew its health funding to PNG, over the contract.
Mr Juffa cautioned the government on its decision.
He expressed concerns about quality, saying the drug distribution is a matter of life and death, and that the people deserved better health care.
He claimed that several incumbents were by-passed and if the government is concerned about health, its’ responsibility was to ensure the Medium Term Development Plans and the Vision 2050 were achieved.
But Health Minister, Michael Malabag, has defended the government’s decision in yesterday’s parliament sitting.
He claimed that all procedures were followed, and the medicines were not counterfeit.
The contract is worth K71 million and is funded through the development budget for the next three years.
Mr Malabag said the technical team will travel to China soon, to test the drug’s quality and recommend the purchases.
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