The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO convened the health cooperating partners and key sectors including law enforcement and academia for a five-day meeting in Kabwe to review and validate the new medicines policy in a bid to enhance the pharmaceutical system in the country. 

The review and validation process aimed at putting in place an evidence-based, and effective policy that is responsive to the changing needs and challenges related to medicines and public health situation in Zambia. Further, the process was to ensure that the vision, rationale, and guiding principles of the policy are aligned with the national development agenda and the national health goals. 

Addressing the participants, Professor Christopher Simoonga, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Administration, acknowledged the progress made so far in implementing the 1999 National Drug Policy even though some areas have lagged. 

“We had made great progress in the implementation of the national drug policies, even though areas such as medicine regulation and pharmaceutical manufacturing have lagged. I am confident that the New Medicines Policy and its implementation plan will help us move forward in these areas and more by putting in place policy objectives and measures that will result in access to cost-effective medicines for our population." 

Following the opening, the multi-sectoral team then conducted the review and validation in four sessions including plenary, focus group discussions, questions and answers and co-writing sessions. This was to ensure a robust exchange of ideas, enabling a collective identification of gaps or areas for improvement thus, putting in place a well-informed, holistic national medicines policy that meets the specific needs of the country's healthcare system. 

The meeting was closed by the Assistant Director for Policy at the Ministry of Health, Mr Evans Malikana, who recommended the implementation progress brief of the NMP, indicating successes and challenges be submitted to cabinet every six months. Most of the elements of policy were reviewed and validated.