The Federal government is to launch a backward integration programme to support full capacity utilisation for the Medical device manufacturing industry in the country.

The backward integration programme, which incorporates policies that affect medical devices and the entire healthcare sector, will be presented to the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

It has concluded plans to set up medical industrial zones across the six geographical zones in the country.

Meanwhile, the Federal government yesterday met with the local manufacturers of syringes and needles as part of efforts to industrialise the medical value chain and reduce the costs of medical supplies in the country.

The meeting presided over by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, was aimed at addressing some of the challenges confronting local manufacturers of syringes and needles in the country.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, lamented that for several years now, the country has witnessed massive importation of needles and syringes, which has made the local manufacturing companies suffer. He said this shows the determination of President Tinubu to remove all bottlenecks hindering manufacturing in the country.

Alausa noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed plans to industrialise the country, adding that he has had several conversations with the Minister of Trade and Investment on the problems being faced by local syringe manufacturers, which culminated in the meeting with the group.

He said, ‘This is the best time to fix the problem once and for all, we need to unlock the medical value chain, bring our medical industrialisation up and set up medical industrial zones across the six geographical zones in the country’ .

On her part, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given us the mandate and marching order to address all the problems affecting manufacturers in all sectors of the economy.

The minister expressed the determination of the President to remove all bottlenecks impeding manufacturing and industrialisation in the country.

She noted that the intention of the president is to ensure that the prices of manufactured medicines drop, and that people have greater access to medicines, and that they are more affordable and have higher quality.

She said, “We want to iron out the challenges facing the health sector and fix the problem we have the Presidential backing to fix the health sector as quickly as possible, and assured the manufacturers that everything discussed will be expedited. Some of these things are just policy changes that we need to make; they are not necessarily such big problems when we understand what the problems are, and how to fix them and come up with the right policies to get the country moving.

Uzoka-Anite stated that the Federal Government has designed a backward integration programme as a major game changer to support the industry and incentivise the manufacturers

She said, ‘President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to reduce the cost of pharmaceutical products and medical supplies in the country, we have discussed many practicable solutions in order to begin to have some quick wins, and immediate solutions that will be incorporated into the Executive Order the president has asked us to work on. Want to put the industry on the path of sustainability, where they can begin to create durable and well-paying jobs for the citizens, and also have syringes that are of high quality”.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Afrimedical, Mofid Karameh, said that for many years, the Syringe and needle manufacturing industry has been forgotten, and about eight syringe manufacturing companies have closed down in the last eight years, adding that the meeting signals a turnaround for the industry.

He stated that all the needles and syringes being manufactured in Nigeria are of international standards and are approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), NAFDAC and ISO.

Noting that local manufacturers have the capacity to meet local demand, Karameh said that Nigeria needs about 1.2 billion syringes, while about 3 billion syringes are being manufactured currently, adding that Nigeria can produce syringes that will cover the whole of Africa and the United Nations.

He stated that Afrimedical have the latest technology and the best sterilisation system in the world and produces 1.8 billion syringes annually.

Chairman of HMA Medical Ltd, Dr Lanre Shittu, said that they have been trying to resolve the problems affecting the syringe and needles manufacturing industry in Nigeria in the last seven years, adding that just a few weeks ago, one of the companies shut down.

He observed that the group has had honest discussions with the ministers and they have provided practical solutions that will help address the issues affecting the industry.
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