The Senate has asked the Federal Government to come forward with a policy that will ensure that all government-funded hospitals in Nigeria procure their syringes and needles from local manufacturers.
The Senate through its Committee on Health led by Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central) reached the resolution at an interactive meeting with critical stakeholders on Thursday; requesting the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire to within six weeks develop the policy and make it available to the committee.
When asked if the Ministry of Health has such a policy in place; the Minister explained that the ministry often advises managements of the various hospitals to procure local syringes and needles.
Ehanire’s explanation was not satisfactory to the Senate panel which obviously wanted something stronger than advisory.
The Senate also called for a policy that will make it mandatory for government hospitals to use only locally made syringes and needles to administer vaccines bought by the Federal Government; excluding vaccines donated by foreign partners.
The upper chamber pushed strongly that local components should be left exclusively to Nigerian manufacturers and not opened to competition from foreign players inline the Local Content Act, Executive Order 3 & 5.
This was as the Senate called on the Minister of Trade and Investments, Niyi Adebayo to within the next three months secure Federal Executive Council’s approval for his planned “Financial Incentive” policy aimed at encouraging local manufacturing of syringes and needles in Nigeria.
President, Medical Devices Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Syringe, Akin Oyediran welcomed the position of the Senate; but kicking strongly against assertions by the Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administrations (NAFDAC) that no local manufacturer has the capacity to meet local needs.
According to Adeyeye, only three local manufacturers are registered with on the database of NAFDAC.
“Patronizing our local manufacturers is a problem. These local manufacturers do not make anything locally. They import and they need an incentive,” she said.