19 Jun 2022

Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BOMRA), in collaboration with Central Medical Stores (CMS) and other Non-Governmental Organisations, is working round the clock to address shortage of medicines that the country has been experiencing.

BOMRA chief executive officer, Dr Stephen Ghanie said the collaboration aimed to close gaps in the local supply chain of medicines that resulted from COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.

Dr Ghanie was speaking at the annual Botswana International Health Expo held in Gaborone on Thursday. He said provision of quality health services was no longer the responsibility of medical practitioners but a collective effort that required contribution from all players.

He said it was also important that all those involved in the supply chain of medical products and services, including the private sector, became innovative to deliver quality health services.

“Medicine continues to evolve as such it is upon all to ensure that they deliver quality and transparent material authorisation services to reduce incidents of substandard, falsified medicine and related substances entering the supply chain through seemingly legitimate channels,” he said.

He said the health expo, held under a theme: Delivering Innovative and Quality Health Care Services and Products, a key to a healthy nation,’ would lead to development of innovative ways of strengthening Botswana health care system as a key step to a healthy nation. 

He added that the role of the private sector in the supply chain of medical products and services was important in supporting government in the provision of quality world class health products and services.

Dr Ghanie said the economic forecast that Statistics Botswana released recently gave renewed hope for economic growth following the impact on the global economy and deep-root disruptions to supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, he said such was difficult to uphold beyond the chains because of the ongoing challenges in other parts of the world. “Many businesses including the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries have folded up and experiencing difficulties rebuilding their businesses,” he said. 

On regulation of medicine and products in Botswana, Dr Ghanie said BOMRA promoted good quality and safe products including functionality of medicines.

He said BOMRA had adopted zero tolerance in the ongoing fight against sub-standard, falsified as well as unregistered products in the country, for both formal and informal markets.

“In Africa mostly, we are dealing with unregistered products that enter the borders and sold informally at the bus rank and other places with high traffic of people,” he said. He further said BOMRA promoted and ensured that manufacturing and distribution of products conformed to the best standards, adding that regulation provided necessary information to the health services providers, public and patients to promote rational use of medical products.

The health expo was attended by health practitioners in the medical, nutrition, dietary supplements, food and cosmetics. Stalls were set up to avail medical products and services for the consumers, free health screening as well as networking . ends