Sudan Development Program - Sudan's Healthcare Sector

Pharmaceuticals

Healthcare in Sudan is well below the levels attained in other Arabic countries. This has been proved by a study of cross-references in the healthcare field. Life expectancy in Sudan is 55 years, while it has exceeded 60 in some Arab countries and 70 in others.

Sudan is one of the countries with the lowest rate of pharmaceutical usage and is vastly inferior to the minimum five dollars per capita set by the World Health Organisation. The index of infant mortality is more revealing, as it is indicative of the level of healthcare in any country. Another factor is the number of hospitals and beds per capita.

Pharmaceutical production in Sudan began in 1961 with the establishment of the factory of the Sudanese Industries for Trade, In 1963 followed the factory of Pharmaceutical Industries, before the emergence of another factory, belonging to the American Company Winthrop. In 1982 the company of Sigma Tau (Sudan) was established. Now in Sudan there are about 17 factories for medical needs, drugs, medical cotton, gauze etc.

These factories deal with about 30 active elements to transform them into modern pharmaceutical products, giving a total of 63 medical compounds spread over variety medicine groups.

In Sudan there is a lack of exploiting the production capacities of existing factories in general. The total production does not exceed 30 per cent of the designated capacity. There is room for further expansion to fill the present gap by adding new lines of production for the manufacturing of other therapeutic groups such as eye drops and rhinal, laryngeal and dental medicaments.

The pharmaceutical industry in Sudan requires certain essentials and must conform to the specifics of the medical industry due to its crucial bearing on the lives of the Sudanese people. The industry is in serious need of redevelopment and is dependent on hard currency to enable the import of raw materials, packaging and spare parts.

The public sector in Sudan has been made aware of the problems suffered by the local pharmaceutical industry in Sudan and has proposed a 10-year plan for its promotion, to be implemented in stages within the framework of the national strategy.

Investment Opportunities

Opportunities for people to invest within the Sudanese pharmaceutical sector are as follow:

- Establishing new lines of production for tablets and capsules
- Manufacturing new varieties of medicaments within existing lines of production
- Manufacturing various medicine packaging sizes, especially for syrups
- Manufacturing spare parts and equipment necessary for the industry, such as mixers and containers

Emphasis has been placed on the importance of the production of venal solutions, creams, disposable syringes, plasters, bandages, gauze, disposable diapers and sanitary pads.

Medical research is also crucial for Sudan's development, in terms of the discovery and adoption of adption of more effective and less toxic remedies.