Sudan gov't revokes increase of medicines prices

Sudanese government on Friday revoked increasing the prices of medicines recently declared within a package of economic measures, said the country's health minister.

Sudan's Health Minister Bahar Idriss Abu Garda announced at a press conference in Khartoum Friday the cancellation of new prices of medicines which were set by the National Medicines and Poisons Council.

He explained that the Medical Supplies, the government authority responsible of provision of medicines, would financially support over 50 types of medicines.

The minister further declared that the budget of free treatment has been increased from 113 million U.S. dollars to 150 million dollars, including importation of heart diseases medicines.

The council, an affiliate of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, had recently issued a new list of prices for medicines that included increases by between 150 percent and 300 percent.

The measures prompted protests after civil society organizations adopted a campaign calling on the government to cancel its decision of increasing the medicines prices. Endit