GOVERNMENT is reconsidering renaming the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) to a yet to be discovered more extensive name, HealthTimes can reveal.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo told HealthTimes that the ‘National Medical Pharmaceutical Warehouse’ procures more than just pharmaceutical drugs hence the need to revisit the nomenclature.
In actual fact to say NatPharm that might be a misnomer and misleading. So we might have to relook into that name.
“Rebranding could be very necessary. We would want to come up with a name that is more encompassing. We are talking about it . So we are looking at it,” said the Health Minister.
The Health Minister said there was need to address the issue of medical equipment in public hospitals.
“As part of improving healthcare delivery, one of the issues that has to be addressed seriously is the issue of availability of functional equipment. You find that most of our equipment will be obsolete and therefore we need to have a plan of replacing the obsolete equipment,” he said.
He noted that there must be systems in place for the acquisition of equipment in the country.
“We need to ensure that all our institutions are fully equipped. It therefore becomes necessary that while we have NatPharm, it is very much able to do the purchasing. NatPharm is a company of government responsible for purchasing all the products that are required by the Ministry Of Health.
“NatPharm itself besides being tasked to purchase medicines, it can also procure surgical sundries and equipment. Any other product required for use in our health institutions. That’s what it is there for,” he said.