Tanzania banks on domestic factories to produce medicines, medical equipment, reduce reliance on imports

NEW YORK: THE Minister for Health Mohamed Mchengerwa has said Tanzania will continue to prioritise strengthening domestic production of medicines, health products and medical equipment as part of efforts to reduce reliance on imports, strengthen health security in the country and contribute to health security across Africa.

Mchengerwa made the remarks today in New York, United States, while speaking at a session titled “Sustaining Sierra Leone’s Triple Zero Gains Through 2028.” He represented Tanzania at the meeting, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Dr Grace Magembe, during discussions on how to sustain Sierra Leone’s progress in reducing maternal and child deaths and expanding immunisation services.

The meeting, organised by the Government of Sierra Leone, is being held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), which brings together representatives of all 193 UN member states, with each country having one vote.

Tanzania’s delegation to this year’s UN General Assembly is led by Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi, who is representing President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

ALSO READ: Health Ministry allocates 5bn/- to complete upgrading the Chato Referral Hospital’s infrastructure

Speaking at the meeting, Mchengerwa said Tanzania fully supports the African Union’s AU Champion Roadmap 2026–2030, which seeks to achieve the “Triple Zero” targets: zero unskilled and unattended home births, zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and zero children missing essential vaccinations.

“Tanzania is proud to have our President, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, serving as the African Union Champion for this agenda. Under her leadership, we fully support the AU Champion Roadmap 2026–2030 and the Triple Zero targets,” Mchengerwa stressed.

He said Tanzania is continuing to take measures to ensure that health services are available close to communities across the country. The government is also strengthening the Universal Health Insurance system and ensuring access to essential maternal and child health services while protecting citizens from high medical costs.

Mchengerwa added that the government is using various financing mechanisms to strengthen the health sector, including public-private partnerships, direct financing of health facilities, electronic payment systems, targeted levies on specific products and the expansion of medical tourism services.

He said the government is also continuing to increase budgetary allocations for primary healthcare services and emergency maternal and newborn care.

Highlighting the importance of domestic production, Mchengerwa said Africa spends more than US$28 billion annually on medicines and health products, with a significant proportion of these products sourced from outside the continent.

He said this dependence exposes African health systems to disruptions in global supply chains and fluctuations in international market prices.

Tanzania, he said, has made domestic production of medicines, health products, medical equipment and hospital supplies a national priority.

Mchengerwa stressed that strengthening local production is not only an economic issue but also a critical component of health security, as it ensures that health facilities can maintain access to essential supplies even when global supply chains face disruptions.

He called on African Union member states and development partners to strengthen collaboration in health-sector investment, technology transfer and industrial policies aimed at expanding the production of health products on the continent.

He also stressed the importance of developing regional value chains, strengthening regulatory authorities and supporting innovation originating from Africa.

“Tanzania continues to ensure that essential health services are available within a distance of no more than five kilometres from every community, while referral hospitals are increasingly reserved for patients requiring specialised care,” Mchengerwa stressed.

The United Nations General Assembly provides a platform for leaders of member states to outline their positions and priorities on major international issues.

Key issues being discussed during this year’s session include peace and security, wars and conflicts, climate change, artificial intelligence, global health, development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The theme of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly is “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation.”