Govt targets 60pc local medicine production

KIBAHA: THE government aims to increase local medicine production from the current 10 per cent to 60 per cent by December next year as part of efforts to strengthen health security and reduce dependence on imports.

Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa said the government had also set a target of increasing domestic production of medical equipment to 65 per cent by March next year from the current less than 20 per cent.

“We are currently at 10 per cent in medicine production, but by December next year, I will hand over to the President local medicine production at 60 per cent. There is no joking about this. Sixty per cent,” Mr Mchengerwa said.

He made the remarks on Monday during the launch and handover of an ambulance to Kibaha District Council, Coast Region.

Mr Mchengerwa said the targets were driven by the need to strengthen Tanzania’s ability to produce essential health commodities locally and reduce vulnerability to disruptions in international supply chains.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing global conflicts had demonstrated the risks of depending on other countries for essential medicines, vaccines and medical equipment.

“The Covid-19 challenges left us embarrassed in Africa because we depended on other countries for vaccines.

The ongoing wars have also shown us why we need to make difficult decisions for Africa to produce its own medicines,” he said.

Mr Mchengerwa said the government had attracted major investors into the pharmaceutical sector, with some already constructing manufacturing plants, including at Mloganzila, while negotiations with other investors were ongoing.

He said his recent visit to China was part of efforts to attract additional investment into pharmaceutical manufacturing.

“In eight days, we visited more than nine cities in China. We worked intensively, moving from one city to another to meet investors.

We have secured major investors with whom discussions are continuing, while others have already started constructing pharmaceutical factories here in Tanzania,” he said.

The minister commended Coast Region residents for embracing investment opportunities in pharmaceutical manufacturing, saying local factories would strengthen health security while creating economic opportunities.

Mr Mchengerwa also announced plans to establish a digital ambulance system that would enable Tanzanians to locate and request emergency vehicles through an application.

“The system will enable every Tanzanian to know where an ambulance is and to request one, just as we use Bolt. Our intention is for an ambulance to be available as close as possible to the person who needs it,” he said.

He said patients would not be required to pay when requesting an ambulance, adding that the system was being developed to ensure emergency patients received timely transportation to health facilities.

“Our intention is not to wait until a patient suffers harm. Our intention is to save the lives of Tanzanians,” he said.

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During the event, Mr Mchengerwa handed over the ambulance to Kibaha District Council and directed local authorities to ensure it was properly maintained and used exclusively for emergency health services.

He said about six ambulances in the region were currently grounded and called on council directors to assess their condition and allocate funds for repairs.

“There is one vehicle that requires only 15m/- but it is grounded, while another requires 21m/- and is also not operating.

Call all the vehicles, assess them and provide funds where necessary so they can be repaired and serve Tanzanians,” he said.

Mr Mchengerwa said the ambulance handed over to Kibaha was equipped with medical equipment worth more than 105m/- and should be used to strengthen emergency referrals and save lives.