Tuesday 19/November/2024 – 07:06 PM
Dr. Ali Aouf, Division Head, revealed pharmaceuticalabout holding a meeting with pharmaceutical companies tomorrow, Wednesday; To discuss the issue of medical stamping and the obstacle it poses, according to his description, to customs releases of pharmaceutical raw materials necessary for manufacturing.
The medical stamp is a financial sum imposed by the Council of the Federation of Medical Professions on certain transactions or documents related to medical fields, including medicines, and its proceeds are used to support the activities of the Federation of Medical Professions Unions and finance its various programs such as subsidies and pensions.
The Pharmaceutical Division criticizes the Medical Professions Union regarding the procedures for obtaining medical stamps
Dr. Ali Aouf, the Medical Stamp Collection Authority at the Federation of Medical Professions, criticized the misuse of the law regulating stamp duty, in light of the Egyptian Medicines Authority’s obligation to pharmaceutical companies to pay the stamp as a condition for customs release of raw materials and medicines, and to obtain a statement from the Federation of complete payment.
The head of the Pharmaceuticals Division explained to Cairo 24 that the union took advantage of the manufacturers’ need to release shipments through customs, so it raised the value of the stamp paid on the price of a box of medicine from 50 piasters to 150 piasters, considering it a violation of the law.
Ali Aouf added that the Medical Professions Union obliged the company to pay other fees when raising the company’s capital, stressing that it is a violation of the law, which stipulates that the amount be paid once upon licensing for the first time.
He denounced the Union’s request from companies to review their budget, to determine the total value of the stamp required to be collected, which he considered to be illegal and outside the scope of their authority, pointing out that the authority authorized to do so is taxes.
Ali Aouf warned of the disruption of the workflow of customs releases for pharmaceutical raw materials, in light of the continuation of the policy of the Medical Stamp Collection Authority in the Medical Professions Union.
Legal controls for collecting the medical stamp from pharmaceutical companies
Law No. 12 of 1983 regarding the Union of Medical Professions Syndicates, which included the Union of Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists, and Veterinarians, determined the value of the medical stamp, and the categories required to pay it, namely members of the Union of Medical Professions, owners of pharmaceutical and pesticide companies and factories, and companies producing medical cotton.
In 2005, amendments were issued to the law that included the value of the medical stamp collected from individuals and companies, and at the level of pharmaceutical companies and factories. Amended Law No. 7 of 2005 stipulated the collection of the following:
- A penny for each package of the product that costs less than one pound.
- One percent for each product whose price exceeds one pound, up to a maximum of 50 piasters.
- One per thousand of the capital of the company producing or trading in medical or cosmetic products is paid upon licensing.
- 50 pounds when applying for registration of medicines or cosmetics.
- 50 pounds upon completion of registration of medicines or cosmetics.
The Medical Professions Union relies on the law in its procedures for obtaining the medical stamp from pharmaceutical companies
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Alaa, Secretary-General of the Federation of Medical Professions Syndicates, commented on the criticism directed at the Federation’s medical stamp collection device, saying that the law and a previous decision of the Minister of Health and Population obligated pharmaceutical companies to pay a maximum of 50 piasters of the selling price according to the form mentioned in the pricing decision. Whether it’s a bar or a package.
Mohamed Alaa explained to Cairo 24 that if the pricing decision was issued for the strip, a maximum of 50 piasters would be collected from the price of one strip, not the full package. However, if the pricing decision was issued for the package, the selling price of the full package would be collected, regardless of the number of strips present. With it.
As for the continued collection of a stamp on the capital after licensing, he stressed that the law did not specify whether the collection was from the licensed or the issued capital, but we decided to collect from the licensor, and in some cases the collection is made from the issuer, which is less valuable than the licensor, with the establishment pledging to pay on Any increase that occurs to the issuer until it reaches the licensed value.
The Secretary-General of the Federation of Medical Professions Syndicates confirmed that reviewing the budget is a duty determined by law and obligating the Federation, based on Article No. 6 of Law Establishing the Federation No. 12 of 1983, which stipulated the establishment of a device to monitor compliance with collecting the medical stamp.
