During the first quarter of th...

During the first quarter of the fiscal year, the Authority carried out a wide range of regulatory and supervisory activities concerning food, health, and health-related establishments.
------------------------
October 17, 2019 (Tikimt 7, 2019 E.C.)

The Addis Ababa Food and Medicine Authority conducted a performance review with the regulatory forum, sectoral leadership, and stakeholders. The review covered the Authority’s 5-year strategic plan, the 2019 fiscal year plan, the implementation status for the first quarter of the fiscal year, as well as initiatives related to good governance and grievance redress.

In her opening remarks at the review session, the Authority’s Director General, Ms. Tigist Bedada, stated that safeguarding public health by ensuring the safety of food and medicine is a collective responsibility. She further emphasized the need for concerted, collaborative effort to advance the institution toward the objectives for which it was established. During the first quarter of 2019, the Authority—as part of its monitoring and regulatory efforts to prevent health risks to the public—took action against 197 food, health-related, and medical institutions. In the process, it disposed of spoiled or expired food, medicines, and health-related products valued at over 8 million Birr.

To ensure that institutions comply with legal requirements and established standards, the Authority renewed the competency certifications for 5,827 entities—including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and service providers in the food and health sectors—and granted new competency certifications to 152 others.

Furthermore, the Authority renewed the licenses of 1,172 health facilities and 1,253 pharmacies, while issuing new competency certifications to 25 health facilities. Additionally, it renewed the professional competency certifications for 3,490 health professionals and issued new professional licenses to 2,340 health professionals. Regulatory and oversight activities were conducted across 1,728 public and private health institutions, as well as 4,840 establishments involved in the production, distribution, sale, and service of food and health-related products. Furthermore, tobacco control measures were implemented across 7,381 establishments.

Additionally, during the first quarter of the fiscal year, complaints regarding medical malpractice were reviewed; responses were provided for nine of these cases, and corrective measures were taken against 13 health professionals.

During the performance review, participants highlighted several key areas requiring focused attention: the monitoring of packaged food and beverages exposed to sunlight; intensified oversight of juice shops; the regulation of food items sold near schools; and strengthened efforts regarding tobacco control. Finally, Ms. Tigist Bedada, Director General of the Authority, and Mr. Enga Erketta, Deputy Director General for the Regulatory Sector, noted that the ideas and comments raised serve as valuable inputs. They emphasized that these points will be prioritized and incorporated into the Authority’s plans. Furthermore, they highlighted the need for collective effort to establish "block-based" organizational structures—modeled after existing frameworks for food, medicine, and tobacco control—so that everyone may act as a guardian of public health.

To conclude, the Authority’s Deputy Directors General (at various levels) and branch leadership signed an agreement regarding the revised plan for the 2019 fiscal year, committing to the execution and reporting of the specific tasks outlined therein.