Calls for research into local drug production to cut import bill

Conrad Mupesa

Mashonaland West Bureau

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, has called on the National Aids Council (NAC) to invest in scientific research for local production of drugs to cut the import bill.

Dr Muswere was addressing journalists from private and public media houses drawn from across the country, health personnel and NAC officials in Chinhoyi last week during the launch of a two-day workshop on HIV Epidemic Control.

“Allocate resources and manpower towards scientific research on the solution, scientific research on the pharmaceutical side. Journalists have been working together with NAC, medical practitioners and pharmaceutical practitioners across  the world. They have achieved huge success,” he said.

For Zimbabwe to achieve full sovereignty, Dr Muswere said, the country needed scientific independence.

“We need to be able to gather the determination and strength for us as a country to be able to research on medicines to treat Zimbabweans,” he added, saying NAC was now supposed to widen its scope of operations.

Zimbabwe uses millions of US dollars yearly to import medicines and health-related consumables.

NAC chief executive officer, Dr Benard Madzima, in his speech read by the organisation’s monitoring and evaluation director, Mr Amon Mpofu, said the quest to eliminate HIV by 2030 is set to be a reality.