by Prof Norman Z. Nyazema,
Context
After independence in 1980, the health landscape in Zimbabwe underwent rapid transformation. Today in Zimbabwe some people are now living longer and the rate of infant mortality has been reduced. The disease burden appears to be increasingly defined by disability instead of premature mortality. The leading causes of deaths and disability seem to be changing from communicable diseases in children to non-communicable diseases in adults. Eating junk food has overtaken hunger as leading risk factor for illness. Seasonal malaria alongside periodic waterborne disease outbreaks like cholera and typhoid.; communicable and infectious disease such as HIV/TB continue to be leading cause of mortality and health loss
Zimbabwe Pharmaceutical ecosystem
It clear that the pharmaceutical ecosystem in Zimbabwe is increasingly becoming complex. The industry sometimes attracts criticism and the threat from the disease burden, hope for innovative diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines. Although most attention is targeted at pharmaceutical manufacturers, the pharmaceutical ecosystem is much more complicated than simply manufacturers. To bring therapeutic agents from development to the consumer requires a sophisticated ecosystem of providers, wholesalers, payers-the government, pharmacies, etc. Government policy has to take into consideration the growing complexity and sophistication of the pharmaceutical ecosystem when focusing or comparing revenue growth and profitability trends in different parts of the sector.
Market size
The disease burden in Zimbabwe and the SADC region, there is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity to fight these diseases. Africa’s pharmaceutical sector is valued at an estimated 65 billion USD and is primed for rapid growth, the continent produces only 3% of global medicines, and imports over 75% of its pharmaceutical needs. There is broad agreement that functioning value chains are critical for SADC to become competitive, industrialised and prepared to respond to local health issues. The Joint Action SADC call ‘Support Towards Industrialisation and the Productive Sectors’ is for players in the pharmaceutical eco-system. The ecosytstem now includes multiple forms of complementary services for better health outcomes.
The way forward
- Partnership between industry and government through strategic public-private initiatives, production-linked incentive schemes, and institutional supply programs
- Establishment of public – private institute of pharmaceutical education and research to train students on cutting-edge industry equipment.
- Creation of a joint PCZ/MCAZ-industry body that sets national occupational standards and certifies thousands of workers in manufacturing and quality control.
- PSZ, CPA, PWA and ZIMCHE to run short-term “finishing schools” to bridge the gap between textbook university education and real-world factory floors.
Keys words: Disease burden, Market size, Partnerships