Khamar Al-Mrabet, head of the Authenticity and Modernity Group in the House of Councillors, commended the significant efforts made to strengthen, develop, and safeguard the national pharmaceutical industry and ensure its sustainability within the economy of opportunities, particularly given that this issue enjoys the special attention of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
During his remarks at the oral question session held today, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the House of Councillors, Al-Mrabet highlighted developments in the health sector, particularly the implementation of social protection initiatives—of which pharmaceutical sovereignty will be a key pillar—and called for greater efforts within the framework of participatory democracy involving various stakeholders.
The parliamentary advisor said “We in the Authenticity and Modernity Group appreciate and acknowledge the importance of what has been achieved so far in promoting the pharmaceutical industry in our country through a series of legislative and regulatory measures and best practices, which have had a positive impact in the digital sphere. We note in particular its success during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the commendable impact of digitizing procedures related to drug registration, increasing the budget allocated to supplying public hospitals with medicines, and the move toward establishing the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products, which is expected to ensure pharmaceutical sovereignty.”
He added, “Achieving the third Sustainable Development Goal—ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at every age by 2030—requires overcoming a number of obstacles within the national health system, the most significant of which pertain to the pharmaceutical system, given its connection to treatment and health, rights guaranteed by the 2011 Constitution,” He emphasized that if the goal is to reform the health system through social protection initiatives, there must be equitable access to treatments and medications for recovery, whether in the public or private sector, and we must overcome limited drug supplies, poor regional distribution, and long delivery times, which directly impact citizens’ health and undermine public health vigilance.
Al-Mrabet went on to say “At the same time, it is essential to issue implementing and regulatory texts as soon as possible, simplify administrative procedures for stakeholders, and maintain a strict policy regarding technical standards, as these concern the health of citizens—who are the foundation and focal point of the development model—while working to encourage partnerships between laboratories and the academic community, and the banking sector’s openness to companies specializing in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Sarah Al-Ramshi
