Musimboti cashes in on drugs crisis

CERTIFIED herbal medicines manufacturer, Musimboti Traditional Science and Technology Institute (MTSTI), has over the past two months experienced a surge in business as patients resort to traditional medicine following rampant price increases of conventional drugs at most pharmacies in the country.

MTSTI managing director Mr Morgan Zimunya said the company witnessed a sharp increase in the demand of its traditional medicines during the past few weeks and he attributed this to the astronomical increases in the prices of conventional drugs.

The Bulawayo-headquartered company is part of Musimboti African Traditional Association that produces pills, cough mixture, eye drops, tea leaves, ointments and other such medicines.

"We have recently seen a sharp increase in the number of people seeking our traditional medication largely due to the price increases of conventional drugs. We have even scaled up our production at the factory. People are now aware that traditional remedies are more or less the same as modern medicines," he said.

Most pharmacies in the country have increased prices for medicines by in some cases more than 100 percent and some are demanding payment in United States dollars.

In Africa and Asia, it is estimated that 80 percent of the population still uses traditional remedies for primary healthcare.

MTSTI is registered under the Traditional Medical Practitioners' Council while its products are licenced for commercial distribution under the newly gazetted Medicines and Allied Substance Control Regulations. The organisation is allowed to manufacture its products as complementary medicines.