The Law Reform Commission has been advised to make more consultations on the proposed patent law before forwarding it to Parliament.

"We urge the commission to listen to us and give us time to make more consultations because the law if passed, has long term implications on access of drugs for Ugandans," the Co-ordinator of the Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS)- Uganda said.

Rosette Mutambi said the commission has only given people concerned a month to submit their contributions, yet Uganda as one of the least developing countries, is expected to have enacted the law by January 2006.

She said that though the commission invited HEPS to be part of a task force that would discuss the law, the task force has been inactive.

This was during a meeting HEPS held for journalists at Hotel Equatoria, March 9.

The commission and the Ministry of Justice are reviewing the patent law in order to comply with the World Trade Organisation's Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement (WTO/TRIPS).

Apart from patents, TRIPS also encompasses copyright, industrial and trade rights. The TRIPS agreement was made in Uruguay in 1994.

Arthur Mpeirwe, a legal advisor for HEPS said that under the property agreement, seven bills have to be discussed, yet the commission has not consulted widely on any.

"The time given for the law is very short; we lack technical capacity and the bills contain issues, which are still in contention internationally," he said.

Copyright 2002 Monitor Publications Ltd.