Africa-Press – Uganda. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, has said plans are underway to work with United Kingdom (UK)-based companies to establish a pharmaceutical industrial park in Nakasongola District.
The announcement contained in a statement released by the ministry yesterday, followed her working visit in London where UK-based companies made the commitment.
“We held a good meeting with the House of Lords, the second chamber of the UK Parliament. Key on agenda was a discussion on the ongoing plans for the establishment of the Uganda Pharmaceutical Industrial Park in Nakasongola by investors from the UK,” Dr Atwine said.
The East African region remains highly import-dependent, with more than 70 percent of its pharmaceutical products coming from outside the region.
Uganda alone imports more than 80 percent of its medical supplies, with pharmaceutical expenditure growing at 8.4 percent per annum, according to Dr Atwine.
“The park will provide the standard environment for pharmaceutical manufacturing while creating an industrial cluster for the value chain of pharmaceutical manufacturing. This will provide jobs, cut government expenditure on importation, among other values to the economy,” she added.
Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, said the date for initiation of construction is yet to be announced.
“The funding will majorly come from those UK partners,” he said.
The development is coming about 10 months after President Museveni commissioned the Biological Drugs and mRNA (Messenger Ribonucleic Acid) vaccine facility in Matuga, Wakiso District, with the aim of making vaccines readily available in the country.
This reporter couldn’t readily determine how far the construction has gone but the manufacturing has not yet started.
Back to the new development, Dr Atwine had, on April 25, led a multi-sectoral delegation to attend the UK East Africa Health Summit at the British Medical Association (BMA) House in London.
The UK East Africa Summit was convened by several UK institutions, which included The Wellcome Trust, British Medical Journal, NHS Health Education England, as well as different diaspora associations of East Africa.
Alongside other permanent secretaries from the region, Dr Atwine presented Uganda’s health sector priorities and investment opportunities that are contained in the current Health Sector Development Plan (2020/2021 to 2024/2025) as she mobilised for UK-led global health partnerships to work with the Ministry of Health in achieving these priorities.
Uganda was reportedly highly praised for its performance in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic.
In turn, the conveners awarded President Museveni and Dr Atwine for their impressive leadership in response to the pandemic.
The summit was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs Rebecca Kadaga, Acting Uganda High Commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland John Leonard Mugerwa, Buikwe District Woman MP Diana Mutasingwa, chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Dr Charles Ayume, and country leads of the Uganda UK Health Alliance Moses Mulimira and Dr Henry Muwonge, among other officials.
Ms Kadaga and Dr Mutasingwa delivered keynote addresses, while Dr Ayume joined a high-profile panel on “setting local research agenda and funding local research institutions in health and climate change” with fellow MPs from the East African region, according to the statement.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
