Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Medical Store Department (MSD)’s plan to build a pharmaceutical factory in Zanzibar has been received with great support from President Hussein Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who promised that his government will work closely with the department to implement the project.
“This is a good idea and a timely project that will help Zanzibar meet its requirement for medical equipment and medicines,” Dr Mwinyi said at the State House where he met and held talks with Major General Saali Mhidze-Director General of MSD.
In his remarks, President Mwinyi explained that the MSD idea to invest in the pharmaceutical industry in Zanzibar will be of great help, especially at this time when Covid-19 pandemic is posing a threat. He said due to the pandemic, access to medicines and medical equipment from abroad is a challenge.
The President said the government has already allocated areas for industries and that goods produced in Zanzibar will penetrate easily to the Tanzania mainland market through non-tariff barriers that existed in the past and made trade between the two parts of the Union difficult.
He said that Zanzibar plans to have a variety of industries but its market is small compared to Tanzania Mainland. Dr Mwinyi said the isles therefore targets market in the mainland and that the produced goods must meet the demand of wananchi on the other side of the union and other countries.
“Our focus must be on finding market in mainland, EAC, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) markets,” he said.
Dr Mwinyi added: “We ask MSD to bring experts to share experience and train our staff in Zanzibar on procurement, storage, distribution of medicines, equipment and medical equipment. This will enable us to improve service delivery.”
Earlier, Major General Saali Mhidze briefed the President on MSD’s plan to invest in Zanzibar through a pharmaceutical factory that will be a major asset for Tanzania, the East African region and even the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.
“MSD’s commitment to build a pharmaceutical factory in Zanzibar is in response to the growing demand of medicines and other medical equipment in the country, especially at this time of Covid-19 where access to medicines and medical equipment from outside the country is a challenge,” Mhidze said.
He explained that MSD has been taking deliberate measures to construct more factories to expand supply of medicines and medical equipment in the country, and that four factories have already been completed, and it is expected to address the challenge of medicine shortage in the country.
In addition, the MSD boss also said that there is need for the government to work with the private sector in the construction of pharmaceutical factories as he stressed to implement building pharmaceutical factories in Zanzibar.
