Health and Social Services Minister Dr Esperance Luvindao has announced plans to establish Namibia’s first state-owned pharmaceutical manufacturing plant within the next five years, as part of efforts to bolster the country’s healthcare self-sufficiency.
“One of the key things that I want to do, while I am fully aware that we are not going to solve all the problems. When I exit in five years’ time, I don’t expect that I would have solved all the problems, but one of the things that is really on my heart is the establishment of Namibia’s own first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant,” Luvindao told at a recent public engagement.
The Minister said although the current pharmaceutical procurement system has enabled local participation, Namibia must now take the next step towards self-reliance by producing its own medication.
“When we talk about procurement and tenders, it is easy to talk about short-term solutions, but one of the most important things is that we must become self-sustainable. The next time a pandemic such as COVID-19 comes, we don’t have to rely on foreign aid for vaccines and directives because we would be creating our own,” she said.
Dr Luvindao also expressed concern over the failure of some suppliers to fulfil their pharmaceutical procurement contracts, warning that this undermines the Ministry’s ability to deliver essential services.
“We often bad mouth the ministry and say you are not providing. But one of the biggest problems the ministry faces is that we give tenders, only for me to receive calls that there is no medication at a certain place. When I followed up with my ED, I was informed that the person who received the procurement contract had not delivered. There are a lot of tenders that we have awarded to this date that have not been delivered,” she said.
She called for greater transparency in the procurement process, including thorough vetting of companies and full disclosure of ownership.
“We must do due diligence on these companies and find out who really owns them. The procurement process must be fully transmittable from the point of expression of interest,” Dr Luvindao said.
