Tinubu Launches “MediPool” Programme To Crash Drug Prices, Ease Financial Burden on Nigerian Families

…Building On Executive Order For Pharmaceutical Tariff Waivers

BY ABU-SATAR HAMED

FCT, ABUJA, NIGERIA – In a bold move aimed at transforming Nigeria’s healthcare sector, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has launched MediPool, a landmark initiative designed to drastically reduce the cost of essential medicines and provide relief for millions of families across the country.

The MediPool programme builds upon the President’s earlier Executive Order signed in June 2024, which granted tax and tariff waivers on the importation of raw materials used for pharmaceutical production.

This earlier step was widely lauded as a foundational shift toward promoting local drug manufacturing.

MediPool is a bulk purchasing organization strategically created to ensure competitive pricing for essential medicines and to serve as a wholesale supplier of healthcare products nationwide.

The programme is a public-private partnership designed to harness the federal government’s vast purchasing power to secure better deals from local drug manufacturers and suppliers.

According to Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare, MediPool’s responsibilities span Procurement planning; Supply chain and logistics management; Quality assurance; Regulatory compliance; Financial systems development and Targeted support for local manufacturers.

These functions are tailored to ensure not just affordability but also consistency, safety, and accessibility of medicines across all parts of Nigeria.

Prof. Pate emphasized that the initiative is a direct response to the long-standing struggles of Nigerians who face illness without access to life-saving medications.

He praised President Tinubu’s vision and described MediPool as a crucial policy innovation that will have a transformational impact on public health.