Zimbabwe urged to build stronger pharmaceutical ecosystem through public-private partnerships

Zimbabwe urged to deepen public-private partnerships in pharmaceutical sector

Zimbabwe needs stronger public-private partnerships and strategic industry-government initiatives to improve health outcomes and achieve greater cost effectiveness across the health system, according to a presentation by Zimpharm Pvt Ltd.

The presentation, titled Zimbabwe Pharmaceutical Ecosystem and Productive Private-Public-Partnerships: Towards improved health outcomes and greater cost effectiveness in the health system, argues that the country's pharmaceutical sector has become increasingly complex and can no longer be viewed simply in terms of manufacturers.

Norman Z. Nyazema of Zimpharm Pvt Ltd said the pharmaceutical ecosystem involves a sophisticated network of providers, wholesalers, payers, government institutions and pharmacies required to move therapeutic agents from development to consumers.

"The pharmaceutical ecosystem is much more complicated than simply manufacturers," Nyazema said, arguing that complex systems require coordination across the value chain.

The presentation identifies value chain integrators as an important mechanism for coordinating activities across the pharmaceutical system, while calling for critical, strategic and lateral thinking in an increasingly technology-driven environment.

It also points to complementary services that could form part of a more integrated pharmaceutical system, including infusion and other drug delivery support, compliance programmes, nutrition and wellness programmes, chronic disease management, patient tracking and value-based healthcare designs.

Nyazema said government policy must take the increasing complexity of the pharmaceutical ecosystem into account when assessing revenue growth and profitability trends across different parts of the sector.

The presentation proposes industry and government strategic public-private initiatives, production-linked incentive schemes and institutional supply programmes, while noting that the growing variety of partnership models makes the benefits of PPPs more difficult to define and evaluate.

It further calls for robust legal and regulatory frameworks to promote effective public-private partnerships in the health and pharmaceutical sectors.

Among the proposed measures is the establishment of a public-private institute of pharmaceutical education and research where students could be trained using cutting-edge industry equipment.

The presentation also proposes a joint PSZ/MCAZ-industry body to establish national occupational standards and certify workers in manufacturing and quality control, alongside short-term "finishing schools" run by PSZ, CPA, PWA and ZIMCHE to bridge the gap between university and polytechnic education and the practical requirements of factory floors