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NewsDay

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‘Donor-funded drugs pose security risk’

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THERE is need for government to urgently come up with a solution to buy its own drugs./

THERE is need for government to urgently come up with a solution to buy its own drugs as it is a security risk to have more than 90% of the drugs in the country being donor-funded, an official has said.

Feluna Nleya

Speaking after touring the government-owned National Pharmaceutical company of Zimbabwe (NatPharm) on Thursday, Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa said although the government drug warehouse was full, the medicines were secured through donor funds.

“The warehouse if full. We can say 92% of our drugs are donor-funded and that is always a security risk for a country like Zimbabwe,” Parirenyatwa said.

“So for a country like ours to have 92% of your drugs donor funded calls out for the government to do something urgent about it, to be able to purchase our own drugs as a matter of priority.

If the donors are giving us something to cover like ARVs and others then we should have money to also go for those pertinent areas that are missing.”

He said treasury had managed to give NatPharm $150 000 and was hopeful such funding would come on a monthly or quarterly basis

“I am glad that $150 000 has come to Natpharm and I hope some more will come every month so that we boost that,” Parirenyatwa said.

“I can say the system is not going down it is picking up, if they start giving this money then next month and that will see us pick up as a country.”

He said Natpharm was s one of the key institutions in the ministry and should get funding so that essential drugs and medical accessories for the country are purchased in bulk.

The Ministry of Health owes NatPharm over $12 million.

Meanwhile, Parirenyatwa also launched the Ministry of Health and Child Care website at a local hotel on Thursday.

The website contains the ministry’s electronic health records databases, national health profiles and health based strategic information reports collected from routine programme data collection and surveys.