President Daniel Chapo has announced that the Mozambican government is working with both domestic and international investors and researchers to ensure local production of medicines, aiming to reduce the country’s reliance on imports.
“The government is deeply committed to promoting local production of medicines and health products — not as a symbolic gesture, but as a genuine national priority — so that Mozambique can reduce external dependency on the importation of essential drugs needed to serve our population,” the president stated.
Quoted by Lusa, President Chapo added that the initiative is being developed in collaboration with health sector regulators and the business community to create the right incentives, policies, and infrastructure to make this vision a short-term reality.
“We are ready and have opened the doors to investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and global partners who believe in Africa’s potential — not as a dependent continent, but as builders of lasting solutions for access to safe, effective, and quality medicines,” he emphasized.
In May, Health Minister Ussene Isse revealed that 9.4 billion meticais (US$145.8 million) were spent during the first five months of this year on the acquisition of medicines and hospital supplies, assuring that stock levels are sufficient through the end of the year.
“During the first five months of the year, we distributed medicines and supplies to treat the main illnesses affecting our population, including diarrheal and respiratory diseases, hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, and malaria,” the minister said.
Speaking in Parliament during a question session with MPs, the minister acknowledged challenges in preventing the theft of medicines, but reported that five Ministry of Health employees had already been dismissed this year for involvement in drug diversion.
“The country has enough stock for the next six months. However, we’ve encountered difficulties in acquiring medications for the cardiovascular and nervous systems, such as analgesics. As you may recall, our warehouses were vandalized during the [October 2024] protests,” he stated.
The minister also explained that the government plans to introduce an electronic tracking system for medicines within the National Health System (SNS) to combat theft and pledged to dismiss any healthcare professionals caught stealing drugs.
With this new measure, the government aims to reinforce the security and integrity of the public healthcare system, ensuring that medicines reach the citizens who truly need them.
Source: Diário Económico
