Public Policies: A Look at the Applicability of Drug Policy in Mozambique Over the Last 8 Years

Abstract

This article addresses public policies, focusing on drug policy in Mozambique, which has been in place for almost ten years. Its purpose is to describe the salient aspects of drug policy in Mozambique, almost ten years after its introduction, that can be improved and/or enhanced to fully meet the needs of the population. Methodologically, this is a qualitative and exploratory study, therefore, an updated literature review on the subject was conducted. Based on this, the main theoretical concepts related to the topic are discussed, as well as their interconnections. Despite the policy ensuring the state's role as the number one guarantor of healthcare for the population, on the one hand, by creating and urging the drug regulatory authority as an interventionist entity to guarantee the quality of medical and surgical supplies, and on the other hand, by allowing community healthcare through dispersed public pharmacies, the methodology used led to the conclusion that there is no specific regulation for good manufacturing, marketing, and distribution practices that could refer to the supply of medical and surgical supplies.