The Government of Swaziland adopted the first Swaziland National Pharmaceutical Policy (SNPP) in October 2000. The Policy was adopted at a time when the country’s health sector was facing a lot of challenges particularly in relation to ever increasing emerging diseases and the policy was intended to help in effecting strategies that would help the acquisition of quality and safe pharmaceuticals at affordable cost for the population of Swaziland.

The present revised Swaziland National Pharmaceutical Policy, which was developed through a consultative process with all stakeholders, provides policy orientations susceptible to provide solutions to the pressing problems of the Swaziland pharmaceutical sector. It charts the way forward to address problems in the provision of pharmaceutical services in Swaziland. The second edition SNPP is therefore a commitment to a goal and a guide for action.

The key policy areas addressed in this document include the following:

• Strengthening the central pharmaceutical administration;
• Developing and enacting enabling pharmaceutical legislation and regulations;
• Strengthening the national medicine supply system;
• Pharmaceutical human resources development;
• Establishment of a Pharmacy Council and a Medicines Regulatory Authority;
• Quality assurance;
• HIV and AIDS;
• Rational medicine use;
• Local Production and Patents and;
• Traditional medicine.