Harare, (New Ziana) – The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) will join other 130 partner organisations in observing the MedSafetyWeek campaign, which runs from Monday to the same day next week.
MedSafetyWeek is an international campaign led by Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC), the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring, and is supported by the WHO and members of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA).
In this campaign, the organisations will be encouraging patients, families, and healthcare professionals to report any suspected side effects, as each report can help protect others.
“Medicines save lives and improve the health of millions of people globally. Sometimes they can also cause unintended side effects.
By reporting suspected side effects when they do occur, regulators can take action to make medicines safer. Regulatory agencies around the world, such as the MCAZ, use reports from patients and healthcare professionals to monitor the safety of medicines and respond to any potential risks. Unfortunately, research indicates that only about 5 to 10 percent of all suspected side effects are reported.
“This means that we only see the tip of the iceberg, and that it may take longer to identify important safety issues. By raising awareness through MedSafetyWeek, we want more people to know that their report matters,” MCAZ Director-General Richard Rukwata said in a statement released on Monday.
The MedSafetyWeek campaign was founded in 2016 to raise awareness of why, how, and where to report side effects. It has been revealed that this year’s tenth anniversary edition will be the largest so far, with more than hundred organisations in 117 countries committed to sharing the campaign message in more than 60 languages.
“By reporting suspected side effects, you and I have the power to make medicines safer for everyone. Speaking up could help protect someone else. It’s not only doctors, pharmacists, or regulators; everyone has a role to play. That is a core message of this campaign: that medical safety starts with you and me,” Rukwata said.
The MCAZ is responsible for protecting public and animal health by ensuring that accessible medicines and allied substances, as well as medical devices, are safe, effective, and of good quality through enforcement and adherence to standards by manufacturers and distributors.
Its mandate is to protect public health, ensuring that medicines and medical devices on the market are safe, effective, and of good quality.
New Ziana
