Babil health officials tighten oversight of psychiatric drug resale

BABYLON, Iraq — Babylon's Directorate for Combating Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances convened doctors, pharmacists and health officials at a seminar to review new rules governing the sale of psychiatric medications that can be misused for their mental effects. The Head of the Babylon Doctors' Syndicate, Dr. Rafid Hussein, said prescriptions must be printed and legible, specify the medication quantity, and bear the prescribing physician's signature and stamp. Pharmacists would also be required to annotate the prescription and seal the dispensed medication before handing it over. Head of the Babylon Pharmacists' Syndicate, Dr. Ali Issam, said the proposals adopted at the meeting have been forwarded to higher authorities for consideration and are intended to prevent the resale of such drugs. Participants also agreed to reinforce pharmacies' duty to report suspicious cases and to maintain cooperation between health units and security agencies. Following the seminar, attendees carried out a field visit to an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in Babylon province. No further details on the proposed regulations or their implementation timeline were immediately available.