… IPA threatens to sue Minister Ramsammy over false accusationChairman of the International Pharmaceutical Agency,Anders Nilsson Jersey, Lloyd Singh, has given Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, 48 hours to revoke statements that appear to damage the credibility of the company and the reputation of the management.Through Guyana Times and its television channel,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Minister Ramsammy accused IPA of failing to satisfy commitments to the health sector.Mr Singh said that nothing could be further from the truth and this accusation suggests that the Minister of Health must have something against his company.He said that Permanent Secretary in the Health Ministry,China Jerseys Authentic, Hydar Ally,NFL Jerseys Cheap, and Co-ordinator of the Health Sector Development Unit, Keith Burrowes should be able to inform the Minister that his comments are erroneous.He said that at the end of the 48 hours,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, if there is no retraction then he would meet with the press and possibly seek legal action.At issue was the recent shortage of anti retroviral drugs. Supplies ran out and Minister Ramsammy is seeking to place the blame at the feet of IPA. This has not been the first time that supplies of the antiretroviral drugs have been in short supplies.Mr Singh said that his company submitted a bid to supply antiretroviral drugs on March 9, this year. The government never awarded the tender until August 26, last. At the same time supplies of the ARVs were dwindling.The contract was for IPA to supply the drugs within 60 working days.Mr Singh said that ARVs are not prepared and left in some bond. They have to be prepared on request. The drugs are procured from India.He said that the first shipment of the larger order left India on September 3, last.But even before the Health Ministry had awarded the contract for the ATVs, the Health Sector Development Unit (HSDU) headed by Keith Burrowes, approached IPA with a request for an emergency supply of five ARVs.This special request was made on July 15, some six weeks before the government was to award the tender for national supplies.Mr Singh said that someone had to be aware that a shortage was looming, hence the request for the emergency supplies.The first of the emergency supplies comprising two of the drugs – Lamivudine tablets and Lamivudine plus Zidovudine tablets— arrived on August 19. The third drug—Efaviranenz tablets—arrived on September 2.Mr Singh provided evidence that the fourth drug—Nevirapine tablets—arrived on October 1. The final drug Lopinavir/Ritonavir tablets,Cheap Jordan Sneakers Wholesale, arrived on October 4.This emergency shipment represented 10 per cent of the supplies needed for one year.These supplies had to be air-dashed to Guyana given the urgency. Mr Singh said that it would have taken weeks had the supplies been brought through the regular channel—by sea.Instead, they were flown into Guyana at great cost to the suppliers—six times more than it would cost to arrive through the regular channels.The first shipment of the major order placed on August 29, should begin arriving next week.