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HA launches performance management scheme to uphold drug safety and quality
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     At the Hospital Authority (HA) Administrative and Operational Meeting today (November 24), Board Members discussed and endorsed a performance management scheme to monitor product quality and service performance of manufacturers and suppliers. The new scheme will be implemented in the first quarter of 2012 following a briefing to the vendors next month.

     Members also noted that the Drug Quality Assurance Office will assess and review the effectiveness of the scheme in 12 months.

     The HA Director (Cluster Services), Dr Cheung Wai-lun, said, "Under the scheme, the performance monitoring of manufacturers and suppliers will be enhanced on their compliance with the product specifications, product quality and service performance."

     The scheme has been developed with an emphasis on providing reference for future tender evaluation, while prevailing contract provisions will continue to empower the HA with absolute discretion to terminate a contract with a manufacturer or supplier and claim for breach of contract agreement over poor drug quality and services.

     Drug quality complaints and problems reported at the front line, in accordance with the current reporting mechanism, will undergo risk assessment of their severity according to their impacts on therapeutic effects and possible harmful effects on patients. The corresponding follow-up actions will range from keeping in view the performance of a manufacturer or supplier, issuing a general alert and monitoring recurrence, to suspension in the most severe case.

     "The HA is obliged, in certain circumstances, to execute product recalls as directed by the regulatory authority. There are also voluntary recalls initiated by manufacturers due to potential product defects," added Dr Cheung.

     "In any case, suppliers will be required to conduct thorough investigation and propose improvement measures to prevent recurrence of the problems."

     All problems recorded through the above mechanism in the performance management database will be reviewed and reported to the Tender Assessment Panel (TAP) of the HA for consideration together with specification compliance and tender price. During the contract period, ad-hoc performance issues will also be reported to the TAP to manage any breach of contract agreement.

     Dr Cheung said the scheme has been fine-tuned following a wide consultation with relevant stakeholders including the trade and industry while addressing public and patient concern regarding quality assurance of drugs being supplied for use in public hospitals.

Ends/Thursday, November 24, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:01

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