With an aim to transform the Ethiopian health sector, a pharmaceutical industrial park is under construction in Addis Ababa area by the Chinese contractor Tiesiju Civil Engineering (CTCE) group, expecting to be completed in eight months
The plan for the industrial park comes in line with Ethiopia's pharmaceutical manufacturing development strategy.
In a statement to the The Ethiopian Herald, Getahun Agegnehu, project contractor representative, said that the part will be build with all modern infrastructural facilities including the waste treatment plant.
“The park will be well serviced pharmaceutical investment hub,” he reinforced.
Adinna Berie, pharmaceutical fund and supply agency public relations head, convicted that the park, after completion, would cut the growing national expenditure for medicine import from the neighbouring countries. She said, “The park will prove the market potential for investors that could join it and attract foreign currency to the country.”
In addition, the park would play a key role in availing the basic and essential medicines at local market, which is expected to attract the investors to join the park when it comes to completion.
Berie explained that the agency has been distributing essential medicine and medical equipment worth US$25.78mn per year, noting that the expansion of health centres spiked the demand to US$950mn. In the last nine months of the fiscal year 2016-2017, the Agency purchased and distributed drugs and medical equipments worth US$430mn.
She further added that the agency opened 17 branches nationwide to ensure the supply of medicines and medical equipment to the public.
The new pharmaceutical plant is expected to meet the country demand for a continuous supply of required medicines for the citizens with adding value to the goal of a sustainable health reform for Ethiopia.
