By Kuda Pembere
Zimbabwe has become the first country in Africa and only the fourth globally to attain the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) Maturity Level 4, the highest international standard for medicines regulation.
The milestone was revealed on Wednesday by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, during a courtesy call on the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora.
“So, Zimbabwe is only the fourth country in the world to get Maturity Level 4. There were only three countries before that, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
“And now, proudly as WHO, I can stand and say the fourth is Zimbabwe. So, congratulations again. Now, reaching Maturity Level 4 is one thing, sustaining it is completely a different story,” said Dr Janabi.
He said the achievement places Zimbabwe at the forefront of Africa’s drive to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing, one of the continent’s top health priorities.
“But we are going to work with you and try to make sure Zimbabwe sustains the Maturity Level 4 it has achieved. This accomplishment demonstrates regional leadership and reinforces confidence in the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products.
“It also positions Zimbabwe as an important contributor to Africa’s health product manufacturing and regulatory agenda, which is among the top priorities for the continent,” he said.
The WHO Global Benchmarking Tool assesses the performance of national medicines regulatory authorities against internationally recognised standards.
Maturity Level 4 is the highest level of regulatory performance, signifying that a country’s medicines regulator has advanced systems that consistently ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of medical products while continuously improving its regulatory functions.
Zimbabwe’s latest achievement builds on its earlier attainment of WHO Global Benchmarking Tool Maturity Level 3, which recognised that the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) had established a stable, integrated and well-functioning regulatory system capable of effectively overseeing medicines and other medical products.
Since then, MCAZ has continued strengthening its regulatory systems and institutional capacity, culminating in the attainment of the prestigious Maturity Level 4 status.
The recognition is expected to boost international confidence in Zimbabwe’s medicines regulatory system and strengthen the country’s prospects of becoming a regional hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing, clinical research and the regulation of medical products.
