Lobamba – Just 45 out of 216 pharmacies across Eswatini have met national regulatory standards, raising alarm over public health risks linked to the country’s low pharmacy compliance rate.
The figures were made public through the Ministry of Health’s Second Quarter Performance Report, which was presented in Parliament on Monday, 6 October 2025. The data is the result of an inspection campaign carried out by the Ministry’s Medicines Regulatory Unit (MRU), following a national call for pharmacy registration earlier this year.
In January 2025, the MRU requested all retail pharmacies to register and submit supporting documents. However, only a small portion responded to the call and met the necessary legal and facility requirements.
Inspectors visited each pharmacy between March and September 2025, and the findings revealed that 171 pharmacies were operating without proper registration, lacked qualified pharmacists, were housed in unsuitable premises, or were not following Good Pharmacy Practices.
The Ministry also noted a key legal gap: the MRU does not have powers to shut down non-compliant pharmacies. That authority lies with the Medicines Regulatory Authority, a body that has not yet been operationalised, despite being legally mandated by the Medicines and Related Substances Act of 2016.
Members of Parliament, particularly the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), have raised concern over the delay in establishing the Authority. The PAC has also uncovered cases of expired and poor-quality medicines being sold to the public and used in health facilities. It has called on the Ministry to set up the Authority within three months.
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