Adopted in February 2019 by the
African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government, the African
Medicines Agency (AMA) is set to provide regulatory leadership on access to
safe, effective, good quality and affordable essential medicines and health
technologies through coordination of on-going regulatory systems.
AMA will also strengthen and
harmonize efforts by the African Union Commission (AUC), Regional Economic
Communities (RECS), Regional Health Organizations (RHOs) and Member States,
while providing them with regulatory guidance among others.
The Republic of Gabon has
become the latest country to heed the call for the ratification of the African
Medicines Agency Treaty (AMAT) when it signed the accord at the African Union
(AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa on 20 April 2020.
On the margins of the recently concluded March Sittings of the
Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Permanent Committees, the Committee on Health,
Labour and Social Affairs convened a meeting to review the status of the AMAT
and sensitize representatives of the continental Parliament on the need to
promote the ratification of the treaty at national level, especially in the
context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The meeting was in line with the
PAP’s mandate to encourage national and regional Parliaments to ratify and
integrate treaties adopted by the AU into their legal systems. The PAP
says the latest signature of the treaty by Gabon is a positive step in the
right direction. To date, the Republic of Rwanda alone has ratified the Treaty
while 16 other States have only signed and are yet to complete the ratification
process.
The continental Parliament has impressed on the urgent need for more
countries to come to the table and ratify this instrument whose importance has
been demonstrated by the current fight against Covid-19.
As the world was starting to realise the devastating impact of the
Covid-19, the PAP thought it was opportune to engage different stakeholders on
the readiness of Africa’s health sector and coordinated efforts. In this
regard, the PAP Committee on Health invited the NEPAD for a review and
information session on the AMAT at a time when AU Member States grapple with
proliferation of falsified medical products that have adverse effects on the
health of users. The message to African Parliamentarians was to incite member
states to ratify this treaty given its benefits for Africans.
The AMAT aims to help African countries improve on the fragmented
regulatory systems for product registration. This will in turn help end the
sale of substandard medical products to our people by unscrupulous suppliers.
Source: Pan African Parliament Media Office
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