Institutions sign agreement to strengthen substance control and public health protection

Santo Domingo.- The General Directorate of Medicines, Food and Sanitary Products (DIGEMAPS) and the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) signed an inter-institutional cooperation agreement, with the aim of strengthening the regulation, diversion, inspection and control of narcotics, as well as the manufacture of medicines containing controlled substances and chemical precursors. The agreement was signed by the general director of DIGEMAPS, Lic. Leandro José Villanueva, and the president of the DNCD, Vice Admiral José M. Cabrera Ulloa, during an event held at the headquarters of the anti-narcotics agency. The agreement establishes a general framework for collaboration that will allow the development of joint actions in the areas of inspection, surveillance, technical training, information exchange, shared use of institutional resources and international cooperation, in order to address the challenges associated with the trafficking and misuse of controlled substances, as well as the falsification, diversion and illegal marketing of medicines.

“This agreement represents a significant step to protect the health of the population and strengthen the health security of the country, through the coordinated work between our institutions,” said the General Director of DIGEMAPS, Leandro Villanueva.

For his part, Vice Admiral José M. Cabrera Ulloa highlighted the importance of technical cooperation between State entities.

“The fight against drug trafficking and the misuse of substances requires a comprehensive approach; and this agreement allows us to unite technical, operational, and legal capabilities to fulfill our mission, that a possible diversion of controlled medications can become a public health problem,” Cabrera expressed.

RELEVANT POINTS OF THE AGREEMENT Among the key points of the agreement, the following stand out: the implementation of joint operations in ports, airports, borders, pharmacies, and warehouses. The exchange of technical information and early warning mechanisms on illegal or dangerous products. The sharing of the Human Consumption Product Evaluation Laboratory (LEPCH) for technical analysis.

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Cross-training of personnel in regulations, inspection, and chemical control. Support in the destruction and final disposal of seized products in accordance with environmental regulations. The agreement will have an initial term of two years, automatically renewable, and does not imply financial commitments between the parties, except for subsequent specific agreements.

Both institutions designated focal points for the implementation and monitoring of the agreement: Mr. Darwin Marcelo Feliz, Director of Cabinet of DIGEMAPS, and Mrs. Heidy Selina Gómez Guante, Director of Chemicals and Precursors of the DNCD.

As an initial part of the implementation of the agreement, the DNCD delivers to DIGEMAPS two (02) colorimetric analysis kits from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), distributed as follows:

• One (1) kit for the detection of controlled substances.
• One (1) kit for the detection of chemical precursors.

With this alliance, DIGEMAPS and DNCD reaffirm their commitment to the protection of public health, national security, and institutional strengthening through effective and sustainable inter-institutional cooperation.