Uganda Pharmaceutical Promoter’s Association (UPPA) has issued 1 week ultimatum to the National drug authority to remove the taxes that was imposed on tho the drugs that are imported to the country.
This comes at a time when national drug authority increased the tax of 5% on imported medicine to Uganda.
It should be noted that Pharmaceutical Promoter’s Association (Uppa) members supply over 85% of the medicine that is used in Uganda and they have been paying 2% on every importation on registered products yet Uganda Regulatory authority increased the taxes to 2.5% with effect from 1st October 2025.
According to UPPA syringes and gloves are some of the items that are being taxed heavily yet they are needed in the day to day operations at the health centres as this is going to make things hard ho access health care services.
Speaking to the journalists under the health journalists network in Uganda, the general secretary at UPPA Dr Hussein Oria explained that making the cost of such medicines high, investors will be scared from investing in the business yet people need essential medicines at all times for greator health outcomes and this will reduce the availability of products threatening public health.
He informed the media that they have written to the ministry of health through their law firm expressing their dessatisfation over the tax increanment for them to review it and suspend these new regulations.
He warned that failure for the ministry of health to comply, they are to close down the distributorhips and stop the importation of such medicines to save their final consumers from being burdened.
