The Sunday Mail
- The Health and Child Care Ministry has urged public calm after the central bank last week released more than $6,7 million to the pharmaceutical sector for essential drugs and raw materials, which will correct pricing distortions and improve supplies of medicines.
In a statement last week, Government said after a series of meetings with stakeholders, parties agreed to “embark on a normalisation process” and “revert to the status quo”.
The parties agreed to accept all forms of payments, including medical aid, and to uphold the value of bond note and US dollars at 1:1.
Those Government engaged were the Association of Health Care Funders of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Medical Association, the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, the Pharmaceuticals Wholesalers Association, the Retail Pharmacists Association of Zimbabwe, the Private Hospitals Association of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights.
“The ministry further advises players in the health sector that Government is committed to resourcing the industry and the RBZ has, in response, released an initial $6,7 million to the pharmaceutical industry with another tranche promised on Friday 12 October 2018,” read the statement.
“The ministry is urging members of the public to avoid buying medicines from the street or online vendors, as these medicines will not have undergone the quality product assessment by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.
“Chances are high that the medicines could be fake, sub-standard or contain no active ingredient at all. The potential harm of buying from the street far outweighs any potential benefit, if any.”
The Health Ministry added: “We note the strong plea by stakeholders for Government to move swiftly to curb the parallel market on order to bring sanity back to the medical industry and avoid distortions in the pricing of services and medicines for the good of patients.
“Government would like to thank all responsive stakeholders and looks forward to stabilise and improve health services provision.”
The public was advised not to buy drugs on streets “or online vendors, as these medicines will not have undergone the quality product assessment by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe”.
“Chances are high that the medicines could be fake, sub-standard or contain no active ingredient at all. The potential harm of buying from the street far outweighs any potential benefit, if any.”
