Afghanistan Launches Nationwide Survey and Re-registration of Pharmacies to Enhance Drug Sector Regulation

The Food and Drug Directorate of the Ministry of Public Health has announced the launch of a project aimed at surveying and re-registering all pharmacies across the country. The initiative seeks to better regulate the pharmaceutical sector, increase transparency, and improve the quality of medicinal services. Under this program, all pharmacies will be brought under official supervision and their operations legalized.

Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, Acting Minister of Public Health, stated at the project inauguration ceremony that adherence to laws related to medicine and food is essential to ensure the healthy lives of citizens. He warned that any negligence in this sector could harm public health. He acknowledged that over the past years, the pharmacy sector has faced widespread problems, with a lack of effective oversight allowing unregistered pharmacies to operate and low-quality medicines to be sold.

He noted that in some parts of the country, even food shopkeepers were selling medicine, indicating serious weaknesses in health regulation compliance. Jalali emphasized that with the implementation of this project, the distribution of substandard medicines will be prevented, and pharmacies will be required to adhere to professional standards.

The Acting Minister of Public Health also stressed the importance of producing quality domestic medicines and urged investors to invest in this field. However, health experts have repeatedly stated that without independent and transparent oversight, merely encouraging investment cannot build public trust.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rustam Mohammadi, Head of Information Technology at the Food and Drug Directorate, explained that the project will be implemented in three phases: digitizing archives, surveying and registering pharmacies, and finally re-registration through the issuance of five-year electronic licenses. According to him, the geographic locations of all pharmacies will be recorded using GPS, and this information will be accessible to the public via the Directorate’s website.

Hasibullah Haddad, the project manager, announced that the program will be implemented nationally with a budget of 60.8 million Afghanis. He stated that the primary objectives of the project include improving equitable access to essential medicines for citizens, reducing the sale of substandard drugs, and increasing public trust in the country’s health system—a goal contingent on the Taliban administration’s transparency and accountability in this sector.