Sids come closer to buying medicines together to save costs  |31 August 2023

Minister Vidot in a souvenir photo with of health ministers from small islands states of the African region of the World Health Organisation (Photo: Contributed)

Minister for Health, Peggy Vidot spoke eloquently and persuasively for Seychelles at the first face-to-face meeting in four years of ministers of health of the small islands states of the African region of the World Health Organisation.

“Our unity is our strength,” said Minister Vidot. “Let’s build on that unity to strengthen our resolve to work together for this common goal.”

Taking place in Gaborone, Botswana on Tuesday August 29 in the margin of the 73rd Ministers Meeting of the Africa Region of World Health Organisation (WHO), the meeting brought together Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros, Cabo Verde and Sao and Principe. Madagascar and Guinea Bissau joined the alliance to strengthen it, by virtue of their bigger populations.

At that seminal meeting the ministers agreed to push their initiative of buying medicines together as one bloc, closer to materialisation. However, there was some degree of uncertainty when they could not decide where, between Cabo Verde and Mauritius, to locate the secretariat for the day-to- day operations of their pooled procurement secretariat.

“Many regions have tried pooled procurement and failed,” said regional director for WHO Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti.

“The small islands states (Sids) are so close to succeeding. We have reached very far. Failure cannot be an option now,” she exhorted the meeting.

“The benefits of this particular pooled procurement initiative far outweigh the challenges and risks,” reassured a WHO expert. “Price of some commodities will be reduced by as much as 90%.”

Minister Vidot subsequently offered the Sids ministers of health to hold their next meeting in Seychelles in November this year after Comoros, citing upcoming elections in their country, pulled out. Decision on this matter is pending.

Minister Vidot is accompanied at the meeting by principal secretary, Dr Bernard Valentin, chief medical officer, Dr Susan Fock Tave and director of research, Dr Emelyn Shrof.

Press release from the Ministry of Health