Mokgadi Fafudi – Substandard and falsified medical products

Substandard and falsified medical products (SFMPs) are identified as one of the urgent global challenges of this decade. The global threat and routes to the market of SFMPs have grown exponentially with the ever-increasing demand for medical products globally. The entry of SFMPs into the supply chain undermines efforts made towards ensuring access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products. Africa and South Africa import a lot of medical products; subsequently, a significant percentage of SF medical products circulating globally are found in Africa, and this presents a serious concern for public health, affecting the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which aims to have universal health access for all. A common finding from the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool assessments is the need for strengthening the market surveillance and control function, which fights the SFMPs.

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