By Our Reporter
Through a series of activities, the National Drug Authority (NDA) on Thursday commemorated 25 years of providing effective drug regulation at Hotel Africana. The events kicked off with a Thanksgiving service, presided over by the provost of all saints Cathedral Kampala, Rev.Canon.Dr Rebecca Nyegenye.
The Authority also held an expo where the general public had the opportunity to engage and interact with experts on various issues related to drugs and their regulation, including herbal medication, veterinary practices, appropriate medicine use, identification of fake and/or expired drugs, how to access safe medicines, and even how to start a pharmaceutical business.
Crowning off the celebrations was a grand dinner that was graced by the Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng as the Guest of Honour.
Over the years, one of NDA’s key milestones has been the establishment of quality assurance measures to guard against the presence of substandard and/or counterfeit drugs (human and veterinary) on the market. This encompasses good manufacturing practice, inspection of drug factories, physical inspection of all consignments received at designated ports of entry, and testing of samples picked from health facilities, pharmacies and drug shops.
At the dinner celebrations NDA launched an online management information system “NDAMIS” that handles processes like drug registration, licensing of phamacies,import authorization and GMP which makes these functions much more efficient and convenient to the customers.
In his remarks the NDA Chairman Dr. Medard Bitekyerezo extended appreciation to the current and previous Drug authority members that have worked tirelessly in guiding the operations of NDA amidst several health challenges.Further to that he stated that ‘We are extremely grateful for the support of government and all our partners.We remain committed to serving Ugandans on this journey towards safe public health through the effective regulation of medicines’.
The Minister lauded NDA’s efforts on ensuring the safety of drugs and curbing fake drugs on the market and most importantly taking on critisms positively. “Theres an increasing public public emand for quality medicines and NDA has evolved to meet public expectation.In Uganda ,the government has invested alot of effort and resources in medicine regulation on an ever increasing scale to ensure that population continues to have progressively better health outcomes , she added.
The acting secretary to the authority requested for continued active support, cooperation and commitment from government and all stakeholders to enable NDA carryout out its drug regulatory activities for a better Uganda with safe, effective and quality medicines and healthcare products.
NDA has regional offices in: Central (Nakawa), Northern (Lira), South-Eastern (Jinja), South-Western (Mbarara), West Nile (Arua), Western (Hoima) and Eastern (Tororo).