Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- Medicine Industry sector in Syria spares no efforts to overcome the challenges resulted from the Western coercive measures imposed on the country and the impacts of the terrorist war which targeted the industrial sector in general.
Thus, governmental bodies have adopted a package of measures to support this significant industry and attract investors in an attempt to enable the pharmaceutical industry in Syria to restore its previous position and develop it.
Director-General of the Syrian Investment Authority Madian Diab pointed out to the Authority’s keenness to ensure the needs of the factories of raw materials locally, asserting the importance the investment law no. 18 in granting facilitations, creating competitive investment environment, attracting capitals, and benefiting from expertise, in addition to increasing job opportunities and raising economic growth rates in order to reach a comprehensive and sustainable development.
Diab added that the number of the polarized health and medical and pharmaceutical industry projects between 2017 and 2020 reached 17 projects with a cost estimated at SYP 16 billion which are scheduled to employ more than 2000 workers when accomplished, indicating that the projects are distributed in Damascus Countryside, Lattakia, Homs, Tartous, Sweida and Hama, while three projects of them were implemented in Lattakia and Tartous.
For his part, Chairman of the Scientific Council for Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr. Rashid Al-Faisal said that the local medicine factories ensure about 90 percent of the need of the local markets through 70 factories that are currently in production, that are distributed in Damascus countryside, Aleppo, Homs, Hama. Tartous and Lattakia.
Al-Faisal noted that 10 factories are stopped after they have been damaged during the crisis in addition to 20 licensed factories that are under construction.
The pharmaceutical industries in Syria have been covering more than 93 percent of the needs of the local market before the start of the crisis in the country and the factories have been exporting their productions to 54 Arab and foreign countries.
Hala Zain
