DILI, 01 August, 2021 (TATOLI)- The President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, José Ramos Horta recommended to the government Ministry of Health to cooperate with the international companies to produce drugs in Timor-Leste.
‘’ I think Timor-Leste required to be a partnership with international medicines factory to produce the medicine inside the country and to avoid Timor-Leste supplying 100% of medicines items from aboard,’’ President Horta told the media after visiting the centre for medical equipment, SAMES office, in Kampung Alor, this Monday.
In his recommendation, Horta suggested that the Ministry of Health partner with Cuba, Brazil, Portugal, and Indonesia to open a drug factory in Timor-Leste.
According to Horta, Portugal standardizes products based on the European Union (EU). Brazil is a country that is well-known as a large drug-producing country like Cuba and China.
“Therefore, the government must use petroleum funds for this investment in our country. This is an important investment to reduce 100% of drug imports from abroad and as a result, the pharmaceutical industry has always been and probably will remain one of the most important businesses in the world,” he said.
So far Brazil and Latin America are the countries that rank among the top pharmaceutical markets worldwide, with a global market share of about 1.8 percent, and a market value of nearly 21 billion US dollars in revenue for the Brazilian nation.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia Borges
