� Business Monitor International Ltd Page -- and a rapidly growing population. Increased investment in new manufacturing facilities, such as by Cuba s Labiofam and India s NRB Pharma will also help improve domestic drug production and increase consumption of essential medicines. ...Furthermore, expanding access to healthcare will support an increase in the country s demand for medical treatment and pharmaceuticals. Steps are also being taken to improve rural access to medicine, with the approval of a USD--mn credit line to fund the creation of --- health outposts and clinics, which the new President Edgar Lungu pledged in his inauguration speech in January ---- would be a priority. In May ----, the Chifundo Clinic in Chaisa Township in Lusaka was opened to provide free services such as HIV testing, tuberculosis treatment, and antiretroviral therapy. ...In one such development, in June ----, it was reported in Zambian press that the first ever hospital in Chienge had been commissioned with essential drug stocks already delivered. The district of Chienge was established in ---- and has a population of around ---,---, many of whom previously had to travel to neighbouring districts for medical procedures and access to essential medicines.
...In August ----, Zambia Medicine Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) raised concerns about the increased number of unregistered drug outlets in the country. ZAMRA noted that out of a large number of drug outlets in the country only --- are registered while the authority closed --- outlets since early ---- and will continue to clamp down on the sector and raise awareness of the risks associated with illegal drug sales. ...ZAMRA noted that out of a large number of drug outlets in the country only --- are registered while the authority closed --- outlets since early ---- and will continue to clamp down on the sector and raise awareness of the risks associated with illegal drug sales. Moreover, in July ---- the Ministry of Health and ZAMRA announced a national health strategy plan based on opening health shops in underserved rural and peri-urban areas while, instead of closing illegal vendors operating in these areas, training the personnel and upgrading and regulating the practice to sale OTC medicines. As of information reported by the Ministry of Health in July ----, Zambia is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, which will provide the Zambian government with tools and systems to better collect health data and use it to prioritize health challenges, develop policies, and deploy resources as well as measure success. ...Moreover, in July ---- the Ministry of Health and ZAMRA announced a national health strategy plan based on opening health shops in underserved rural and peri-urban areas while, instead of closing illegal vendors operating in these areas, training the personnel and upgrading and regulating the practice to sale OTC medicines. As of information reported by the Ministry of Health in July ----, Zambia is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, which will provide the Zambian government with tools and systems to better collect health data and use it to prioritize health challenges, develop policies, and deploy resources as well as measure success.
...In ----, drug expenditure in Zambia reached a value of ZMW-.--bn (USD---mn), which is expected to increase toZMW-.--bn (USD---mn) in ----, marking a -.- y-o-y increase in local currency terms (---.- in US dollar terms). As a percentage of GDP, pharmaceutical sales accounted for a mere -.- in ---- and represented --.- of overall healthcare expenditure. ...
