Cabinet has given its approval for the proposed amendments to the National Drug Policy and Authority Act, authorizing the creation of a new entity responsible for regulating agricultural and veterinary health inputs.
The current framework falls under the purview of the National Drug Authority (NDA), prompting a Ministry of Health request to restructure these measures.
Amidst discussions spanning more than three meetings, this decision was taken on Monday.
The Ministries of Agriculture and Health have been working together in order to develop a more effective regulation framework within this sector; taking into account potential weaknesses in NDA procedure.
For human medicines, vaccines, medical devices, public health products, nutritional supplements, and all further pharmaceutical supplies related to human health care – the NDA will remain as it is under Ministry of Health administration.
To regulate food items and animal/plant health therapeutic products – an additional body named Food, Animal, and Plant Health Authority will be formed under Ministerial Agriculture jurisdiction.
Minister Baryomunsi explained that the process to amend this law has taken many years, and this decision is aimed at strengthening the regulation of veterinary drugs and vaccines to give plant and animal health its due prominence.
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), which performs similar roles, will continue its mandate over any other products on the market except those under the NDA, the new body, or any other specialized agency established by law.
The decision to create this new body comes at a time when the government is rationalizing many of its agencies, which are duplicating roles to cut expenditure, but the Minister urged that this was an exceptional case.