Zimbabwe legislators ratify establishment of African Medicines Agency

HON. P. ZHOU: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I am supporting the ratification of the African medicines. I also come from Chipinge where there is a lot of traditional medicines. In Chipinge, when a person is pregnant, in order for her to deliver properly, they must use traditional medicines to deliver without complications, like elephant dung, et cetera. These traditional medicines help a lot and people know these traditional medicines. Even the Bible supports the use of traditional medicines because all types of trees and grasses, what we call flora and fauna were found in this garden. Even the ingredients of modern day medicines are taken or found in this garden. We cannot deny or discourage the use of traditional medicines because we will be lying to ourselves for modern medicines are taken from traditional medicines. Therefore, I support the use of traditional medicines. Modern day medicines do have proper dosages on how these medicines must be taken, therefore traditional medicines must have proper dosage. Those who practice traditional healing must be respected because they will be helping at their capacity. Thank you very much.

HON. MOLOKELA-TSIYE:  Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you so much.  I would like to add my voice in support of the ratification process to the African Medicines Agency.  It is good news for Zimbabwe.  It is good news for Africa that we, as Africans, are now moving away from a colonial set up where we have to rely on medicines from other continents to address our own needs as a continent.  It is long overdue that we unite as Africans and the African Medicines Agency should lead us in terms of economies of scale so that instead of buying or importing bulk medicines from India and other continents like Brazil and so on, we need to produce enmasse as Africans.  This will help to put the prices of medicines in Africa down and it will also help us to trade among ourselves as Africans because the current system is not benefitting us more but it is benefitting other continents.

We want to encourage Zimbabwe to be one of the leading countries in this regard in supporting the African Medicine Agency.  We also want to invest more, we want to challenge the Government of Zimbabwe to research more on research and development to ensure that we invest scientifically in our own very rich history and intellectual knowledge on medicines that was affected by the colonial experience.  The colonial system did not respect African intellectual knowledge on medicines and we need to invest a lot of money in scientific research.  In fact, universities such as the University of Zimbabwe should have institutions such as Centres for African Medicines Research.  Institutions such as Midlands State University should have institutions with a centre for African Medicines Research so that we properly document and research to ensure that we bring these medicines into our pharmacists.

Our pharmaceutical system in Zimbabwe looks more foreign than local and it is time we should change that.  We need to learn especially from the Asian countries like China, Korea and others which have managed to infuse their traditional knowledge of medicines with their colonial types of medicines.  Zimbabwe and Africa at large have remained behind in this regard, so let us learn and make sure that we infuse the medicines we inherited from our colonial masters but also respect and acknowledge our own African traditional medicine systems.

We also want to encourage the Government to work closely with institutions that have knowledge.  I know that the Zimbabwe National Healers Association, for many years has not been given enough respect and we want to encourage the Government to make sure that they respect ZINATHA and properly engage it to ensure that most of the knowledge that they have is scientifically documented.  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.

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