The Mozambican government announced that in the coming years it will allocate 1% of the health sector budget to promote scientific research and boost local pharmaceutical production, with the goal of reducing the country’s dependence on imported medicines by 30% by 2030.
“We aim to continue working towards ensuring local production of medicines and reducing dependence by 30% by 2030. Currently, 90% of all medicines and health products in our country are imported, and this scenario needs to be reversed,” explained Ivan Manhiça, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health (MISAU).
Quoted in a Lusa publication, Manhiça acknowledged that achieving this goal will require additional funding, given the limited resources currently allocated to the health sector through the Economic and Social Plan and State Budget (PESOE). “We will allocate at least 1% of our budget to support scientific research so that we can find local solutions. We also plan to seek new funding sources and partnerships with the private sector, including strengthening ties with various medicine regulatory authorities,” he clarified.
In May, the Minister of Health, Ussene Isse, had disclosed that in the first five months of this year, the government spent 9.4 billion meticais (approx. USD 145.8 million) on purchasing medicines and hospital supplies, ensuring that there is sufficient stock until the end of the year. “During this period, we distributed medicines and materials to treat the main diseases affecting the population, such as diarrheal and respiratory diseases, hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, and malaria,” he noted.
Speaking in Parliament during a Q&A session with deputies, the Minister once again admitted there are “challenges” in preventing theft of medicines, but said that five Ministry of Health employees have already been dismissed this year for involvement in drug diversion.
“The country currently has enough stock for the next six months. However, we have faced some restrictions in acquiring cardiovascular and nervous system medications, such as analgesics. As you may recall, the warehouses were vandalized during the protests in October 2024,” he added.
Source: Diário Económico
