Harare, 11 October 2016  - The call was made by WHO Representative Dr David Okello at the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe’s Annual Pharmacists’ Indaba. Dr Okello said this policy, which should be well-integrated within the national health policy, is the  first step in the Government's efforts to ensure access to medicines for its population. “Such a policy should also define the regulatory framework for assuring product quality, safety and efficacy, and governance of functional and administrative processes,” said Dr Okello.

He also said that the perception of the functionality of the country's health systems is often linked to availability of essential medicines, and any interruption in availability tends to generate public outcries and charged reactions. Dr Okello also said that although Zimbabwe is endowed with one of the best Medicines Regulatory Authority in Africa, there are still challenges and emerging concerns, namely; (i) The threat of Sub-standard, Spurious, Falsely-labelled and Falsified Counterfeits (SSFFC); (ii)  Emerging challenges of Antimicrobial Resistance; (iii) Human resources for health challenges; and (iv) Promoting procurement of locally manufactured medicines. He said in such a complex field, the role of WHO in strengthening the leadership function of Government is crucial, and he reaffirmed WHO’s commitment  to facilitate Government-led, multi-stakeholder approaches and to maintain focus on public health priorities.

The Government of Zimbabwe also pledged to take up the leadership role in coming up with policies and strategies to achieve the strategic vision for the Zimbabwe pharmaceutical industry whose strategic objectives are to be attained by 2022. The pledge was made by the Deputy Minister for Industry and Commerce, Honorable C.I. Mabuwa who was the Guest of Honor. Honorable Mabuwa also said the Government is enacting a number of statutory instruments that manage imports of goods and pharmaceuticals, and is also looking for investors to resuscitate the local manufacturing of  pharmaceuticals. “we need to locally produce medicines at low cost to allow affordability to our consumers,” she said.

Honorable Mabuwa also urged the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe to invest in research and development in order to be in a position to benefit from the  amendment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) protocol on the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement on public health once it is accepted. The amendment will allow countries like Zimbabwe to authorize companies or individuals to use the rights of patents without permission from the patent holders to promote production of cheaper generic medicines for their benefits.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe was formed in 1898 in Bulawayo, and was then known as the Pharmaceutical Society of Rhodesia. At independence in 1980 it became known as the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe. It has the distinction of being the first professional association to be formed in the country and since then, great strides in pharmacy have been made.