Zimbabwe urged to strengthen public-private partnerships in pharmaceutical sector

Zimbabwe needs stronger public-private partnerships and more effective coordination across the pharmaceutical sector as the country seeks to improve health outcomes and achieve greater cost effectiveness in the health system.

The call is contained in a presentation by Zimpharm Pvt Ltd's Norman Z. Nyazema, who argues that the country's pharmaceutical ecosystem has become increasingly complex and can no longer be viewed simply in terms of drug manufacturers.

Nyazema says the pharmaceutical ecosystem involves a wide range of players, including manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, government, medical aid societies and patients. The wider system also intersects with the food and animal feed, wellness and beauty industries.

He argues that the complexity of the sector requires deliberate coordination, pointing to research by Asgari and Mitchell which found that complex systems benefit from value chain integrators capable of coordinating activities across the system.

"Value chain integration requires CRITICAL thinking, STRATEGIC thinking and LATERAL thinking in this technology driven era," Nyazema says.

The presentation proposes a range of complementary services that could be developed alongside traditional pharmaceutical activities. These include infusion and other drug-delivery support, compliance programmes, nutrition and wellness programmes, chronic disease management, patient tracking and value-based healthcare designs.

Nyazema says government policy should take the growing sophistication of the pharmaceutical ecosystem into account when assessing revenue growth and profitability trends in different parts of the sector.

The presentation identifies public-private initiatives, production-linked incentive schemes and institutional supply programmes among possible approaches for strengthening collaboration between industry and government.

It also calls for robust legal and regulatory frameworks to promote effective public-private partnerships in both the broader health sector and the pharmaceutical industry.

Among the proposed measures is the establishment of a public-private institute for pharmaceutical education and research, which would train students using cutting-edge industry equipment.

The presentation further proposes the creation of a joint PSZ/MCAZ-industry body to establish national occupational standards and certify workers in pharmaceutical 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 practical factory-floor requirements.