By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday approved a landmark Medicines Bill aimed at regulating the importation, distribution and sale of pharmaceuticals across the country, in a move officials say will strengthen public health protections.
Lawmakers passed the bill by a majority show of hands during a parliamentary session held in Mogadishu. The draft legislation was submitted by the Ministry of Health and Human Services as part of broader efforts to reform Somalia’s fragile healthcare system.
The new law is designed to establish stricter controls over the quality, safety and effectiveness of medicines entering the country and those sold in local markets. Authorities say the bill will help curb the widespread circulation of counterfeit, substandard and expired drugs, which have long posed serious risks to public health.
Under the legislation, the federal government will be granted expanded powers to regulate and monitor pharmaceutical companies, importers, pharmacies and health facilities. It also provides a legal framework for inspections, licensing and enforcement measures against individuals or companies that violate pharmaceutical standards.
Health officials have welcomed the approval, describing it as a major step toward restoring order in a sector that has for years operated with limited oversight due to decades of conflict and weak regulatory institutions.
The Medicines Bill is expected to be forwarded to the Upper House for review before being signed into law by the president. Once enacted, authorities say implementation will be gradual, with capacity-building measures to ensure effective enforcement nationwide.
Somalia’s healthcare sector has struggled with poor regulation since the collapse of the central government in 1991, leading to an influx of unregulated medicines. Lawmakers say the new law marks a significant milestone in protecting citizens and rebuilding trust in the country’s health system.
