The National Drug Authority (NDA) will in the near future pen an MoU with the Kingdom of Buganda to enable in promotion of safe drugs in the Buganda region.
This revelation was made by Charles Peter Mayiga, the Premier of Buganda Kingdom during the meeting with NDA officials in Bulange Mengo yesterday.
The NDA team was led by its Secretary to Authority, Mr. David Nahamya who explained the significance of this MoU.
“We recognize the key role the Buganda Kingdom plays in mobilizing her communities to support issues of national importance. This is why we would like to partner with you to address some of the challenges we face such as irrational drug use, drug, and substance abuse, drug hawking, unauthorized herbal medicine with unethical drug promotions which all threaten public health,” he said
Nahamya told Mayiga that NDA is a government agency that was established in 1993 by the National Drug Policy and Authority Act Cap 206 to ensure the availability, at all times, of essential, efficacious, and cost-effective drugs to the entire population of Uganda as a means of providing satisfactory healthcare and safeguarding the appropriate use of drugs and it undertakes this mandate through regulating all drugs locally manufactured or imported for both human and veterinary
NDA is also tasked to oversee the entire supply chain, manufacturers, and outlets where drugs are sold, which gives assurance in case the public gets a problem from the use of a particular drug. NDA is able to trace it from where it entered the market or where it was sold from. This is why it is important that any drug, conventional or herbal is approved before it is allowed on to the market.
“Through you, we would like to have Ssabasajja Kabaka wa Buganda be a champion in promoting the safe use of drugs. Having His Majesty, the Kabaka as a Safe Drug Use Champion would be invaluable in our cause given his significant unifying and fatherly role of guiding people,” he added.
This, he said would greatly help NDA achieve its mandate of assuring that the Buganda people and the entire population of Uganda have access to safe, quality, and efficacious medicines, both traditional and conventional.
“NDA would like to establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Kingdom to enable us to work together to improve the quality of herbal medicines in Buganda. With a partnership in place, NDA can work with your Ministry of Culture and any other delegated teams to undertake training for herbalists, support those involved in herbal medicines to access technical support on compliance to current good manufacturing practices, and assist herbal drugs manufacturers/dealers in having notified products on the market which will enhance their knowledge and quality of their products,”
NDA had visited Mayiga to discuss how the two entities can work together to collectively help Ugandans live a safe and healthy life.
“NDA would also like to work with the kingdom by providing extensive technical support and information in the fight against drug hawking and drug misuse including all the necessary information and educational materials needed for the campaign against drug hawking and illegal drug promotions,” Nahamya said
Speaking at the meeting, Mayiga welcomed the initiative and said that it promotes the lives of Ugandans.
“All people deserve a healthy life so NDA comes at the right time when the kingdom is in its campaign of reviving its autonomy back to the top,” he said adding,
“We welcome the initiative and shall sign an MoU to enable us to work together so that we promote our people’s lives,” he said
