Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review pharmaceutical supply chains and accelerate overdue payments to drug companies, the government said in a statement. The meeting included Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk and heads of key health and procurement authorities, as well as representatives of major pharmaceutical firms. Minister Abdel Ghaffar called for stronger coordination between the Unified Procurement Authority (UPA) and the Pharmaceuticals Chamber to ensure stable drug supplies and streamline financial allocations to companies and distributors. He stressed the need for tighter monitoring of critical medicines such as oncology and emergency drugs, expansion of strategic stockpiles, and faster distribution to health facilities nationwide. The talks also addressed rescheduling financial arrears to maintain production and supply chains, and advancing efforts to localise drug manufacturing and reduce import dependence. Egypt's pharmaceutical exports reached $1.5 billion in the fiscal year 2024/25, with a target of $3 billion by 2030, Minister Abdel Ghaffar added. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
