Health Permanent Secretary for Administration Prof Christopher Simoonga has reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring the safety, efficacy and integrity of the health care system through Pharmaceutical traceability.
Speaking during the Zambia Pharmaceutical Traceability Visioning Workshop in Lusaka, Prof Simoonga said challenges in ensuring the authenticity and transparency of pharmaceutical products have evolved significantly in a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected and technologically advanced.
Prof Simoonga says consequences of counterfeit drugs, substandard medications and the proliferation of unscrupulous actors in the pharmaceutical supply chain are there, and at times even fatal.
He says government’s duty to safeguard the health and wellbeing of citizens demands that the challenges are confronted head on.
Prof Simoonga says government aims to create a robust framework that harnesses the power of modern technology to ensure that every pharmaceutical product can be tracked back to its source, verified for authenticity, and held to the highest quality standards.
He says achieving this requires collaboration across sectors, Government agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, technology experts, and international partners.
Prof Simoonga says a holistic approach can help to create a system that would not only detect and prevent the infiltration of falsified medicines, but also provides the tools to swiftly respond if a breach occurs and that since 2018, government has taken important steps towards this commitment
