Zim GBC News | Harare Correspondent
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has announced a major escalation in its fight against the scourge of counterfeit medicines and substance abuse, vowing to strengthen collaboration with law enforcement agencies to safeguard public health.
Speaking at the authority’s Annual General Meeting in Harare, MCAZ Public Relations Officer, Davidson Kaiyo, said the regulator is scaling up enforcement operations to target the sale of unregistered and fake drugs, which are increasingly fueling a public health crisis.
“We do have a number of enforcement activities that we carry out together with the police, including raids where we target hotspots to get rid of illicit drugs circulating on the local market,” Kaiyo stated.
He emphasized that the authority is aligning its efforts with national drug control strategies, focusing on stringent licensing and inter-agency coordination.
“We work together with other government bodies to implement national resolutions in the fight against drug and substance abuse. Our licensing and enforcement division ensures that the law is fully upheld,” he added.
The crackdown comes as Zimbabwe achieves a significant regulatory milestone. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recognized the country as the sixth in Africa to attain maturity level three in medicines regulation, placing it alongside nations like Ghana and South Africa in ensuring drug safety and quality.
However, stakeholders argue that this progress is undermined by weak penalties for offenders. The current fine for breaching the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act (MASCA) is a mere US$20, an amount described as ineffective as a deterrent.
Patrick Munamba, chairperson of the Community Pharmacists Association, called for a multi-pronged approach.
“Every drug has a source, and every demand has a user. We need to educate the public that creates the demand,” Munamba said.
“If we eliminate the user, we kill the market at its source and save our nation.”
Despite the challenges, MCAZ reiterated its commitment to ensuring only safe, approved medicines are available in Zimbabwe and urged the public to always verify drugs against its list of approved products before purchase.
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