Uganda: President Museveni pledges to support blockchain project to fight fake medicines
Uganda head of state Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to support a project stated to use blockchain tech to fight against problems of counterfeit medicines in the country.
【 Published by regionweek | Editor: ADRIAN LAVISTA 】
The announcement was made on Monday, MediConnect, which is the firm behind the project, has built a solution to track and manage counterfeit medicines with blockchain.
MediConnect admitted that they have received “indicative” support from the Ugandan government to explore the use of its product in the whole country.
The firm announced the news after meeting with the President Yoweri Museveni, Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng and other government officials to discuss the benefits of their solution.
“The Ugandan President, Minister of Health and National Drug Authority all understand the need to act fast to tackle the country’s counterfeit drug problem and recognize the benefits offered by tracing medication on the secure, scalable blockchain framework we are developing,” MediConnect CEO Dexter Blackstock said,
“We see this as an important opportunity for MediConnect to form part of Uganda’s national infrastructure and protect its citizens by ensuring all drugs in circulation are authentic and safe.” He added
The company reportedly cited data from the Ugandan National Drug Authority, which indicated that 10% of the drugs circulating in Uganda are counterfeit or have below par.
World Health Organization (WHO) also reported that 10% of medical products in developing countries, most of which are in Africa, are substandard or fake.
Uebert Angel, a founder of a Pentecostal ministry in the U.K. and strategic partner of MediConnect, who was in the meeting stated that when he traveled to Uganda he was shocked by the extent to which fake medicines ruined the lives of various Ugandans.
“Travelling to Uganda, I was shocked by the extent to which counterfeit drugs have ruined the lives of the most vulnerable people in society,” said Uebert Angel
“It is therefore humbling to be able to make a difference by investing in the country’s pharmaceutical sector and partnering with MediConnect to identify fake drugs and prevent them from reaching end-users.” he added
On his part, Uganda President Yoweri K Museveni confirmed the meeting throughout his post on Twitter.
“Met Uebert Angel, a televangelist and businessman, who is founder of Spirit Embassy in the UK and Bro Ronnie Makabai of ETM International Church, here in Kampala. They indicated their interest to invest in tourism and pharmaceutical sectors. Government will support them,” President Museveni tweeted.
■ Source: regionweek
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