SEVEN foreign based companies are planning to build new pharmaceutical
plants in the country in a move to reduce the costs and easy
availability of drugs in local health providing units.
The government was forced to review its
baseline list of essential drugs of 85 to 135 items, pushing up the
number to 90 items yet some health providing units still faced crisis of
some drugs while other areas posses sleeping stock.
Health Community Development, Gender,
Elderly and Children Minister Ms Ummy Mwalimu said the government
resolved to review the list and now issued to key stakeholders for
further review.
However, she said some seven foreign
investors have confirmed their interest to compliment President John
Magufuli’s effort to transform the country into an industrial powered
economy. “It’s too bad that we have to import everything.
We want to start producing drugs within
the country ... we will start with three major drugs, pain killers and
antibiotics,” she said. “Our capacity is very limited. It’s not good ...
the good news is seven investors are ready to support,” she said when
delivering her key note speech during the ongoing 48th Medical
Association of Tanzania (MAT) National Health Conference held in Dar es
Salaam.
Without giving specific details
including names of investors, location of the plants and the sum of
investment, the minister noted that the government is seeking to
revolutionaries the health sector. She noted that among other key areas,
the government is also planning to upgrade health centers to offer
antenatal care.
“We want to improve our health
facilities,” she said adding to start the health budget had increased to
9 percent from 6 percent of the total national budget. Observers said
the budget was still too far beyond the Abuja declaration that suggested
African governments should increase health budget to at least 15
percent of their national budget.
Tanzania Diabetes Association and Non
Communicable Diseases Alliance Secretary General Professor Andrew Swai
said the budget gap in the health sector was 2.1 trn/- about 52 percent.
He said even after the government meets
the Abuja declaration of 15 percent, the budget will not be enough to
finance health service urging the government to fast truck enactment of
the national health insurance law.
The law mentioned in the parliament
yesterday and it is set for the second and third hearing later next
year. The health expert said Tanzania was facing a number of unfinished
businesses in health sector with increasing rate of communicable and
non-communicable diseases projected to soar.
About 9 percent of Tanzania population
have diabetes, hypertension (27 percent), cancer (25 percent) and
overweight (34 percent). Outgoing MAT president Dr Billy Haonga urged
the government, however, to allow medical graduates to be registered as
private health providers similar to lawyers and engineers profession.
He defended that the program would help
the unemployed professionals help in health care service provision area
and respond to the crisis across the country.
