LOCAL PROCUREMENT: FG INAUGURATES MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS ISSUES
"In the area of health care delivery, access to medicine remains the cornerstone of National policies aimed at improving access to health and attaining universal health coverage." Engr Adebiyi, Permanent Secretary, FMOH.
"With close to 200 companies that produce medicines and related Commodities, Nigeria has the highest number of local manufacturers in Africa.
The inauguration exercise was held in the Ministry of Health recently in Abuja.
Members of the committee include:
1. Dr. Obi Adigwe Director-General NIPRD - Chairman
2. Director Hospital Services FMOH - Member
3. Director Planning, Research & Statistics FMOH - Member
4. Director Public Health FMOH – Member
5. Technical Director, Audit, F &A NIPRD -Member
Other members are:
6. Medicines, Commodities & Equipment Manufacturers Representatives
7. Director Food & Drug Services FMOH – Member/Secretary
According to the Permanent Secretary, the terms of reference include:
• To review adherence with respect to medicines and relevant commodities
• To identify weaknesses if any, in the implementation of the Order by the MDAs
• To access awareness and support of the Order by non MDA stakeholders
• To map indicated entities stipulated for coverage by the Federal Order
• To develop engagement framework for Non governmental stakeholders
• To articulate a plan to enhance achievement of the Order’s objectives
• To collate contextual evidence and develop good practice guidelines among others.
In a statement issued and signed by Patricia Deworitshe, Director Press and Public Relations Department of the Ministry, the Permanent Secretary stated that "the inauguration of the high level committee will ensure that the potential identified to be harnessed by the Order is realised and amplified towards achieving medicines' security and attaining universal health coverage."
He further stated that in May 2017, a Federal Executive Order (Executive Order No. 003) was gazetted stipulating as least 40% of the Government’s procurement expenditure be locally manufactured goods adding that six years later, there is little or no evidence to suggest a robust and comprehensive adherence to this critical edict.
“With close to 200 companies that produce medicines and related Commodities, Nigeria has the highest number of local manufacturers in Africa, meaning that the potential for widespread National utilization is high. Anecdotal evidence however suggests that local procurement of medicines and other Commodities indicated in the Order is disappointingly low,” Olufunsho stressed.
In the area of health care delivery, he noted that “access to medicine remains the cornerstone of National policies aimed at improving access to health and attaining universal health coverage.
International evidence suggests that multidisciplinary interventions have emerged the most sustainable approach of achieving such objectives”.
A common weakness in our national development is the pervasive culture of non-implementation of important carefully crafted policies, to prevent this and ensure that the nation and indeed the continent benefits maximally from the multidisciplinary outcomes associated with the Federal Executive Order on Local Procurement, it became necessary to constitute the Ministerial Committee, he further emphasised.
Olufunsho said that the findings of the committee would enable Government catalyse the sector towards achieving other critical socio-economic objectives such as employment generation, knowledge transfer, capacity building and revenue generation.
He therefore charged the members to justify the confidence reposed in them by ensuring that the objective of this mission is achieved.
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