The Senate has directed the Minister of Health, OSAGIE EHANIRE to put together a policy to compel all government hospitals to procure locally manufactured syringes.
The Senate Committee on Health gave the Minister a six-week ultimatum to carry out the directive.
The Committee gave the directive during an interactive meeting with local manufacturers of pharmaceutical products, the Ministers of Health and Trade and Investment as well as the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The committee is investigating the failure of government agencies to implement the Backward Integration Policy (BIP), on local production of syringes five years after it was validated.
Members of the committee say it is alarming that despite the capacity of local manufacturers to meet the market demands, an estimated 1 billion units of syringes and needles are imported into the country per annum.
