Sunday, July 27, 2008
Counterfeit drugs are a global menace, but rewarding for the evil merchants who trade in it. Tanzania alone boosts counterfeit revenues by as much as US$100 million. It is estimated that 50 per cent of drugs imported into West Africa are fake and smuggled through porous borders. The devastating impact should not be ignored in Africa where we already face a plethora of health care challenges; dilapidated health infrastructure, poor doctor/nurse to patient ratios, inadequate health insurance, prohibitive taxes on imported medicines and corrupt health bureaucrats just to mention a few. But cutting edge technology abounds to curtailing the menace, such as Mpedigree.