MSD tip off: Look out for tenders
What you need to know:
MSD Executive Director Laurian Bwanakunu told reporters in Dar es Salaam that land acquisition, which was valued at Sh2 billion, was an opportunity for drug manufacturers to set up a factory that would help the government save money from procuring medical supplies abroad.
Dar es Salaam. The Medical Stores Department (MSD) yesterday acquired 100 hectares in Kibaha District, Coast Region, and called on private investors with a desire to build a drug factory on the land to be on the lookout for tenders to be dloated next month.
MSD Executive Director Laurian Bwanakunu told reporters in Dar es Salaam that land acquisition, which was valued at Sh2 billion, was an opportunity for drug manufacturers to set up a factory that would help the government save money from procuring medical supplies abroad.
Currently, 85 per cent of the country’s medical supplies are imported. According to Mr Bwanakunu, the government has been incurring huge losses over the years importing medicines and medical supplies.
“Now it’s high time we invested in local pharmaceutical production to cut down the losses,” he said.
Through the public private partnership (PPP), the MSD will now provide land to a drug manufacturer, who will win the tender. “We (the MSD) will also provide the market for pharmaceutical products. So, the investor’s role will only be about running the factory,” said the MSD boss.
“We have found out that one of the biggest challenges facing investors in drug manufacturing is s on securing a conflict-free land. So, we decided to sort this out for them,” he told reporters.
The products, which are being prioritised for local manufacturing are intravenous fluids (drips), cotton-gauze and bandages.
According to the Acting Director of Procurement, Mr Abdul Mawanja, the MSD has been procuring intravenous fluids from a manufacturer based in Uganda.
“Health facilities across the country lack the fluids. Investors, who will produce these locally, will help the government deal with a major outcry for the fluids that have been a big problem for years,” said Mr Mwanja.
The 100-hectare land is jointly owned by the MSD and the Kibaha Municipal Council. The Memorandum of Understanding between the agency and the municipal council was signed at MDS headquarters in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
