In Swaziland, SIAPS has been supporting the Ministry of Health in developing both the Pharmacy Bill to regulate the profession and practice of pharmacy, and the Medicines and Related Substances Bill to regulate the registration, importation, and use of medicines and related substances. The two bills have been passing through the legislative process and are now with the Swaziland Parliament’s Health Portfolio Committee.
To educate parliamentarians on the importance of these two bills, SIAPS/Swaziland held two highly successful workshops. The first workshop targeted members of the Health Portfolio Committee, while and the second was designed for members of the House of Assembly and the Senate. At the workshops, Swaziland legislators were briefed on the pharmacy profession and how pharmacy personnel were positioned within the country’s health care system. The bills were discussed in detail, with the parliamentarians paying special attention to potentially contentious issues.
Legislators praised the workshops, saying they would inform both future legislative sessions and their report, which is to be submitted to the Health Portfolio Committee.
These two bills are expected to:
- Ensure that quality pharmaceutical services are delivered by trained, registered, and accountable personnel
- Promote the safe dispensation of quality medicines and appropriate counseling for patients
- Ensure the enforcement of good pharmacy practices, which will in turn lead to improvements in medicines management
