The Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde; MINSA)’s National Directorate of Medicines and Equipment (Direccao Nacional de Medicamentos e Equipamentos; DNME) is responsible for regulating medicines and other pharmaceutical products in Angola in collaboration with the Inspectorate General of Health (Inspecção-Geral da Saúde; IGS). Preliminary reports indicated that the regulatory system was not fully functional or operating effectively and thus needed assistance.
As a first step toward providing technical support and identifying additional sources of assistance to strengthen the regulatory system, the USAID-funded Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program, which has been providing support to the DNME since 2005 in pharmaceutical management, particularly supply chain management, conducted an assessment of the system and DNME’s capacity to implement it.
