The Director General of National Agency for food and Drugs Administration and control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhil has opened an International Auto Syringe Company, located along East/West Road in Port Harcourt known as Pan African Health foundation.
In declaring the company officially opened to commence production, Dr. Paul Orhil, said among other things, “This is a big one for us, you know that for World Health Organization (WHO) to pre-qualify the company and for us look at the regulatory agency that is on the ground to make sure that the standards are followed. This is also a big endorsement for the work of NAFDAC, I therefore congratulate our able officers here in Port Harcourt and the South-South Zone for the good job they are doing,” the D.G noted.
According to the NAFDAC Boss, during the Haiti earthquake, some of the products (Auto Syringe) from the factory were sent there and they were well received and accepted.
He also called on the financial institutions in the country to support standard companies that manufacture WHO pre-qualified NAFDAC regulated products as a way of boosting the economy of the country and creating enabling environment for more investment opportunities.
Continuing, the NAFDAC Boss noted that “In the entire Africa, we have only three pre-qualified companies that manufacture WHO pre-qualified products; one in South Africa, one in Uganda and one in Morroco. To get a WHO pre-qualification is very complicated and highly technical. In the whole of Africa, I think, only one has been WHO pre-qualified and this is the second one here in Nigeria and we are very happy”.
He also noted that the agency has requested, with the support of the Minister of Health, Prof.O. Chukwu and also the Bank of Industry for N200 Billion as pharmaceutical intervention fund that will give loans at good rates to companies that would wish to expand on long term loans.
In his response on behalf of Rivers State Government, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, expressed delight at the landmark step taken by the company in the production of auto syringe and also commended NAFDAC for doing a good job in sensitizing the food and drugs industries in the country. ####
By Jeff Oguike
