East African Community (EAC) member states are set to have a common pharmaceutical policy to control the flow of substandard medicine.

The deal was announced Thursday by Viateur Mutanguha, the National Coordinator of Pharmacies Taskforce in the Ministry of Health.

"We aim at enhancing use of standard drugs in the region,” Mutanguha told the press at the Treatment and AIDS Research Centre (TRAC) Headquarters in Kigali.  

He was officiating at a one-day seminar for journalists where he also revealed the Health Ministry’s plan to set aside awards for best health reporters.

The training, organised by the ministry attracted local journalists from both private and government media houses.
"Your health reporting experience is still narrow. The need for its boost is highly prioritised,” he said.

Mutanguha, who represented the Health Minister, Dr Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo, noted that knowing when to be enthusiastic can help journalists get a quick start.

"As writers, it is your role that counts more in the information dissemination. Therefore, it’s better when you find out in depth what the health issues are all about,” he urged, adding,” In an often cynical situation don’t be swayed by everything you read and hear.”

The national drug use policy was the key element of the training which the ministry wanted scribes to alert the public about.

"We want to listen to and read your coverage on medicine use as a guide to the public,” said Leon Fundira, from the National Pharmaceutical Association.

"The medical issues that you choose to report on are completely up to you in order to let the public know what pharmacists are supposed to offer,” Fundira said.

The media was recognised as an extraordinary sector with the ability to instantaneously inform people from all over the world in both print and electronic form.

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