KABUL: Afghanistan has exported locally produced medicines and health products to Egypt, Iraq and Yemen, a Ministry of Public Health official said.
According to Radio Omid correspondent, Mawlavi Abdul Basir Qane, head of the ministry’s Department of Medicine and Health Products Supply, said 117 pharmaceutical and health-product manufacturing factories are currently operating in Afghanistan.
Speaking at the opening of the Second International Health Exhibition in Kabul, Qane said four of the country’s pharmaceutical manufacturers have met World Health Organization (WHO) standards and obtained relevant certifications.
He said domestic manufacturers currently meet around 30% of Afghanistan’s demand for medicines and health products, while about 400 types of medicines are produced locally and used in hospitals across the country.
Qane added that another 18 pharmaceutical factories are expected to meet WHO standards and obtain international certifications in the near future.
He said Afghanistan is not only meeting part of its domestic demand through local production but has also begun exporting domestically manufactured medicines to Egypt, Iraq and Yemen.