For the first issue of the diplomatic Club of Lomé, this January 19, 2017 Club, the general concern has focused on counterfeit drugs and their effect on health in Africa.
“The smuggling of fake medicines is now an underlying factor to the laundering of money and other traffic. Beyond the threat to health public, this traffic is a real threat to the security of African States, given established networks in these areas”. That one of the consequences mentioned yesterday by Dr. Innocent Kpeto, president of the order of pharmacists of Togo, guest of honour of the diplomatic Club of January 19, 2017, the first of the year under the chairmanship of Professor Robert Dussey and with al moderation of the who resident representative in Togo Dr. me BOA Lucie.
For the first time, the Club came out of the geopolitical issues prevailing in the world to address a topic of concern for health concern, even beyond the fight against the drug trafficking.
Other consequences
According to Dr. Kpéto, citing several sources, there are 800,000 deaths each year due to the use of these counterfeit drugs. An information documented by the World Health Organization.
Crime, double, people remain hungry, for medicines, and finally themselves with fake
These are generally dose drugs, deaths by intoxication, behavioural disorders (the case of the tramadole on the zemidjan in Togo is cited as an example)
The scope of the topic.
10 percent of drugs in circulation worldwide would be fake, then in Africa and in poor countries, this increases to 40 to 60 percent. But generally on the Internet and the media, it’s 50 percent of drugs in circulation in Africa that are ‘fake’.
The circuit is very strict and even lucrative. According to Dr. Innocent Kpéto citing the World Customs Organization and the IRHCM, he would win more than 75 billion dollars a year to their players.
Also ‘ for 1 dollar, a drug dealer would win 10 to 20 fraud while making counterfeit drugs counterfeiting would win 200 at most $ 400’. They come between 50 and 70% of the India and China according to the World Customs Organization, these countries that also come from most of the good drugs recognized as such today. It’s a paradox.
Several referrals through operations in ports in Africa unfortunately confirm this fact according to Dr. Kpéto who encourage the fight against the phenomenon in all the States of Africa. The CDL has called president, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo, Prf Robert Dussey to engage subregional advocacy for the fight to be collective.
In Togo, although the sale of drugs at the edge of the road continues to climb in figure, public power don’t quite close your eyes.
Dr. Kpéto has reminded the audience the fruits of some operations to success. He cited the operation Cobra in October 2011, allowing to enter 7 tons of drugs in a week, other 9.2 tons seized in three days thanks to the Porcupine operation, seven 2015 and a the police operation which allowed to seize 22 tons of drugs transported in trucks from AKI always in 2016.
By Ken LOGO