Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Assembly has taken a major step to remove hurdles that have long delayed the supply of safe, quality medicines in The Gambia.
Lawmakers on Tuesday advanced the Medicines and Related Products (Amendment) Bill 2025, which seeks to ease rigid registration rules blamed for repeated drug shortages in local pharmacies and hospitals.
The Bill, on Tuesday tabled for a second reading by Hon. Amadou Camara, Chairperson of the Select Committee on Health, amends the Medicines and Related Products Act, 2014. If passed, it will exempt medicines and related products that are sourced and approved for use in countries with what are officially called Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs).
“We cannot watch Gambians suffer because manufacturers won’t prioritize us for registration due to our small market,” Hon. Camara told the Assembly. He argued that the amendment would unblock supply chains for essential drugs that already meet strict standards abroad, saying, “This is about saving lives.”
Currently, the law only exempts products manufactured in SRA countries from registration in The Gambia, but does not cover medicines merely sourced or approved there. According to MPs, this loophole leaves many vital medicines stuck in bureaucratic queues while patients wait.
The amendment will allow the Medicines Control Agency to use alternative mechanisms besides registration to permit safe imports from trusted countries. It also empowers the agency to publish and update a list of countries that meet the stringent regulatory benchmark.
Members who supported the bill stressed the urgency of reform. Nominated member Hon. Fatou. K. Jawara said the strict process had left families scrambling for basic drugs that should be on shelves. “Health is not a privilege it’s a right. We need our people to have the same quality medicines used in Europe and America,” she said.
Hon. Musa Badjie, Member for Tallinding Kunjang, noted that many Gambians still rely on relatives abroad to buy simple medication. “Why should my people wait for cousins in the UK to send Panadol? We must open our market to trusted drugs,” he said.
Other lawmakers recalled how the country’s deadly AKI incident underscored the dangers of weak checks and low-quality imports. They argued that the new amendment strikes a balance: opening access without compromising safety, since only countries with proven strict standards will qualify.
If passed into law, the bill is expected to ease bottlenecks for local distributors, boost supply, and help prevent recurring shortages of life-saving drugs.
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