ATC150513: Interim report of the Portfolio Committee on Health on the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Bill [B6 – 2014] (National Assembly – sec 76), dated 13 May 2015

Health

Interim report of the Portfolio Committee on Health on the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Bill [B6 – 2014] (National Assembly – sec 76), dated 13 May 2015
 

The Portfolio Committee on Health (the Committee), having considered the subject of the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Bill [B6 – 2014] (National Assembly – sec 76), referred to it and classified by the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM) as a section 76 Bill, reports as follows:

 

The Bill seeks to amend the Medicines and Related Substances Act, 1965 (Act No. 101 of

1965) in order to address implementation challenges of the Act.

 

As a result of the feedback received during its’ public hearings process and having applied its mind to the proposed amendments, the Committee wishes to make further improvement to the Bill.  In so doing, the Committee intends going beyond amending section 18A in the Act, as envisaged in the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Bill [B 6 - 2014].

 

The object of the additional amendment is as follows:

 

Amendment to Section 18A dealing with bonusing. The new amendment will read as follows:

 

“18A     Bonusing

 

(1)        No person shall supply any [product] medicine, medical device or IVD according to a bonus system, rebate system or any other incentive scheme.

(2)        Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Minister may prescribe acceptable and prohibited acts in relation to subsection (1) in consultation with the Pricing Committee referred to in section 22G.

 

Assembly Rule 249(3)(b) provides that a Committee may, if it is considering a Bill that amends provisions of the legislation, seek the permission of the Assembly to inquire into amending other provisions of that legislation.

 

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

The Committee recommends that the National Assembly grants permission in terms of Assembly Rule 249(3)(b) for it to amend other provisions of the Medicines and Related Substances Act (No. 101 of 1965).

 

 

Report to be considered.