photo: Belarus’ healthcare ministry
“We’ve managed to find common ground when we talked with Algeria’s Pharmaceutical Industry Minister, and it’s about complimenting each other. Algeria’s pharmaceutical market today is covered by its own drugs by 70 percent. In Belarus, we have 90 percent of the inpatient sector. It says that, overall, the list of drugs we produce is quite extensive. However, we have to find those drugs between us that Algeria produces and we don’t, as well as those that we produce and Algeria doesn’t and would be interested in. This is a very appropriate first step, I believe, and we have to dwell on it and put it into practice in the near future,” the Healthcare Minister stated.
According to Aleksandr Khodzhayev, Algeria has received the list of Belarusian drugs comprising 1,700 items, “The Algerian side should study it very carefully. When we looked at the medicines [from the Algerian list], we saw that these, of course, are medicines for cardiology. They have their own modern production facilities. There is also the registration issue, as it is slightly different in our country. But I am convinced that there is room for a compromise.”
The Healthcare Minister noted that he had also studied how the Algerian healthcare system works and whether there is a need for Belarusian experience, “The second day of my work here was dedicated to it. There was also a lot of communication with [Algeria’s] Healthcare Minister and a visit to a major multidisciplinary hospital, where I was able to see for myself that, in general, we are quite comparable, both in terms of the specialists available and the organisation of high-tech care in various areas. That is paediatric oncology, paediatric surgery, and even how general practitioners work. We are very similar and close in this respect.”