STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND SANITATION, Mrs. ABATOR THOMAS AT THE PRESS BRIEFING ON THE COMMISSIONING OF THE NATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL QUALITY CONTROL LABORATORY AND THE NEW QUEEN ELIZABETH II PORTS INSPECTION OFFICE 2nd JUNE 2007

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the pharmaceutical and the food processing industries are all over the world amongst the top most contributions to the Gross National Product (GNP) of national economies besides the roles they play in public health and safety. Further, they are the leading export-oriented sectors in both the developed and developing economies of the world.

Due to the impact that products from these industries have on public health and safety, they are one of the most regulated industries worldwide.  As recognized globally, there can be no meaningful industrial development and promotion of health and trade without standardization and regulation of industrial process, methods and products for human and animal’s consumption. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation  therefore has an immense role to play on issues related to Sierra Leone’s quest for industrial growth and strong and healthy citizenry.  The Ministry of Health and Sanitation through the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone  seeks to strike a fine balance between protecting consumers and the environment without trying industry and trade in a web of constraints. The Board is therefore pursuing innovative approaches to regulation through the review of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 2001, as well as its operating procedures.  In this regard the Board has continued to improve its efficiency without sacrificing the quality of work in the regulation of potentially dangerous products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices and household chemicals.

The deepening political stability in the country coupled with government’s sound economic policies over the past six years has heightened investors’ confidence in doing business in our country. The Board has witnessed dramatic increases in the import of pharmaceuticals and cosmetic products into the country.  These trends are healthy for national development but at the same time demands efficiency in the regulatory services of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone .  An important goal in the area is for the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone  to provide timely release of safe and beneficial products into the market. While protecting the public from unsafe ones.

• In order to achieve this goal the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone  has employed a number of interdependent functions and processes including licensing of manufacturing importation and distribution of medicines, as well as of the parties involved in drug promotion and advertising.
• Assessment and registration of products
• Inspection and surveillance of pharmaceutical establishments
• Control of drug promotion and advertising
• Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring (Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance) and
• Quality Control Laboratory Testing.

However, the role of Quality Control testing in assuring good quality, safe and effective medicines is the corner stone of my ministries regulatory function and has provided the bench marks against which we measure the quality of pharmaceutical care we provide for our people.  In this light, even though we are here today to inform you of the commissioning of a newly upgraded and refurbished quality control laboratory, this laboratory service has been in operation for over the past 18 months and has already started producing results in-terms of improving on the quality of medicines in the distribution chain.  Ten (10) years ago, on estimated 43% of medicines on the market in Sierra Leone were found to be counterfeit/fake and or substandard.  Today this figure is less than 20%.  Even though such static’s remain unacceptably high, it is evident that some measurable progress has been achieved since the operations of this laboratory began.

To date we have destroyed over 8 billion Leone’s of counterfeit and substandard medicines in Sierra Leone potentially preventing immeasurable suffering of the people of this country.

As this service swings into full operation we expect to guaranty that all medicines, cosmetics, nutritional agents and medical devices imported for use by the people of Sierra Leone are of the best quality and efficacy.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, as a partner to the poverty reduction strategic plan the role of health and well being and the impact of good quality medicines and related products in achieving health cannot be over emphasized.  It is of this reason that our government has mustered the resources to establish the National Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratory and in addition, the implementation of other new regulatory measures such as: the opening of our port of entry inspection offices at Lungi International Airport, the offices at Cline Town, and now down at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay, where Pharmacy board Inspectors will be able to inspect all products being imported officially into Sierra Leone

-                     the establishment of our regional inspection offices, in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Koidu and Kailahun next month future opening of our border inspection offices in Kambia and Pujehun district along our Guinean and Liberian borders.

-                     The recently launched Drug Safety Monitory Programme (Pharmacovigilance) etc.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is evident that in as much as our country is on its road to economic recovery, our government is determined to ensure the health of its people by making sure that it puts in place the mechanisms to ensure the safety and quality of the fundamental tools required for combating disease, medicines and related products.

The establishment of our National Pharmaceutical Quality Control Laboratory will ensure that we put behind the days when ordinary citizens are afflicted by the unforeseen enemies counterfeit and substandard medicines, which have plagued this country for far too long.  Fellow citizens, counterfeit and fake medicines are the greatest evil of our time and can be viewed as the highest weapons of terrorism against humanity. This is because, for example:

-                     HIV/AIDS is preventable

-                     Malaria is preventable

-                     Armed robbery will kill a few at a time

-                     But counterfeit/fake drugs kill en mass because we all use medicines and none of us are able to decipher the good from the bad.

I would like to take this opportunity to warn all detractors and perpetrators involved in the trade of fake medicines that my ministry is now in a no nonsense  mode and will deal with whosoever is found to be handling such contraband commodities severely, in the interest of public safety and health and national development.

On behalf of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, government and people of Sierra Leone I would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to the African Development Bank the World Health organization through the Health SectorReconstruction Project, and the European Union through the Health Sector Support project and other donors such as the Global Fund for providing the necessary financial and logistical support for the establishment of the national Pharmaceutical  Quality Control Laboratory and related drug regulatory interventions.

Finally on our part, I would like to assure the general public that our government will leave no stone unturned and in addition will continue to provide the necessary support to the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone to ensure that the best possible quality of Health care delivery is provided with respect to the provision of good quality, safe and effective medicines for the people of Sierra Leone.

I thank you for your attention