By KT Reporter
The National Drug Authority (NDA) has stood firm on its decision to maintain newly introduced verification fees for imported medicines, despite protests and threats of closure from pharmaceutical importers.
At the end of September, the authority announced fresh guidelines for the registration, notification, and retention of medicines, introducing new tariffs on imported drugs that took effect in October.
The move immediately sparked outrage among importers under the Uganda Pharmacy Promoters Association (UPPA). They accused the government of imposing unrealistic charges without prior consultation.
The importers, who have since written to Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, gave the government a two-week ultimatum to revise the fees or face a nationwide suspension of importation and distribution.
However, speaking to URN in an interview on Wednesday, NDA Public Relations Officer Abiaz Rwamwiri dismissed the threats as unfounded, insisting that the new tariffs were carefully considered and would only affect a small category of imported drugs whose demand can already be met locally.
Rwamwiri clarified that out of more than 600 pharmaceutical products imported into the country, only 37, including common painkillers like paracetamol, anti-malarial drugs, and antibiotics, were affected by the revised fees.
According to Rwamwiri, the verification fee has risen from 12 per cent to 17 per cent, a measure he says is designed to encourage investment in Uganda’s growing pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. But importers argue that the policy will do the opposite, increasing the cost of doing business and, ultimately, the price patients pay at pharmacies and hospitals.
Hussein Oria, the Secretary of the UPPA, said importers are already weighed down by numerous charges from various government entities, including the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). He noted that they also pay retention fees to NDA even for drugs that are no longer on the market.
Oria added that items such as gloves, syringes, and cotton wool, essential supplies in every health facility, attract more than 30 per cent in cumulative taxes and fees, making them increasingly unaffordable.
UPPA Chairperson Kirti Shah expressed frustration that the new charges were introduced without consultation. He said the association only learned of the fees in October, despite the legal instrument introducing them having been gazetted on September 17. Kirti says the pharmaceuticals were blindsided because the first increase happened in 2022, and they adjusted, but this time, they weren’t even given a chance to discuss or prepare.
Rwamwiri, however, defended the move as a strategic way to promote Uganda’s self-reliance in drug manufacturing. He cited examples from Ghana, where the importation of products that can be sufficiently produced domestically is completely banned. Uganda, he argued, has opted for a more flexible, market-friendly deterrent through higher verification fees rather than outright prohibition.
But Oria insists that such policies should not come at the expense of access to affordable medicines. He claims the increase in 2022 did not create any impact in terms of an increase in preference for Ugandan-manufactured drugs over those imported.
He urged the government to explore alternative strategies, such as tax incentives for local manufacturers, improved access to raw materials, and fair regulatory policies, instead of, in his words, “punishing importers who are simply filling gaps in local production.”
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