Govt devoted to promote pharmaceuticals production

ASHERY MKAMA

THE government has restated its commitment towards policy coherence in the health sector in an effort to promote local production of pharmaceuticals and easy access to medicine in the country.

According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC), Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya, although Tanzania has seen significant improvements in health outcomes, the need for policy coherence in the area of access to, and delivery of, health technologies, remained a priority.

“Tanzania has realized significant improvements in health outcomes. For instance, the country has reached the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on child mortality, with infant mortality reduced almost by half, between 1996 and 2010.

“During the same period, the under-five mortality rate also fell from 137 to 81 deaths per 1,000 live births,” Dr Ulisubisya said when giving his remarks at a two-day stakeholders’ meeting in Dar es Salaam. “But there is more to be done. We have now embarked on a new global development chapter, the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs.

The SDGs are comprehensive and ambitious – and this is a reflection of the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of the health and development landscape,” the PS noted.

In line with the approach of the SDGs, he highlighted that Tanzania’s national strategic plans, including the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and the Health Sector Strategic Plans (HSSP), have also identified the need for a sustainable health delivery system as a national development priority.

“The existence of a policy and regulatory framework to guide us towards these policy goals will be key. In this case, there is a need to ensure policy coherence, given that these goals will intersect with sectors beyond public health,” he added.

The Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Awa Dabo, stressed that better understanding of the implications of inter-related and inter-linked issues, coupled with better communications and coordination between the government agencies and stakeholders will be crucial in developing a conducive framework for ensuring sustainable, affordable and access to health technologies.

“This approach is in line with that of UNDP’s objective to support the Government of Tanzania in addressing the country’s health and development priorities - from peace building and good governance, to poverty reduction and sustainable development,” she added.

The workshop was supported by the Access and Delivery Partnership (ADP), which brings together the UNDP, the World Health Organisation Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO/TDR), and the Programme for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH), to provide technical assistance to strengthen capacity.