Affaire Softcare : la mauvaise blague de l’ARP
On Saturday, December 13th, Seneweb published a column entitled "Softcare or Pape Thiaw's List for the AFCON ." The aim was to draw the attention of Senegalese people to issues that receive little public attention, despite their direct impact on the daily lives of every citizen. We wanted to make it clear that the focus on the AFCON should also extend to an issue as important as Softcare's allegedly dangerous products, which affect babies, children, women, and even men, since it is their sons, daughters, wives, sisters, and nieces who use these products.
The press release issued yesterday by the Senegalese Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP) confirmed our concerns regarding the necessity and urgency of being more vigilant than ever about the quality of products placed on the market. In this press release dated December 16, the ARP maintains that, after visiting and reviewing the documents provided by Softcare, the inescapable conclusion is that "expired raw materials were not used in the production process." In other words, Softcare's products are "deemed compliant" and therefore "fit for consumption."
Yet, just a week ago, this same state agency, in a press release dated December 8, stated that it had "noted the presence of expired raw materials in the manufacturing process of these health products intended for babies, children, and women." This is why the ARP (Algerian Press Agency) had suspended the sale of Softcare products "until the manufacturing process is brought into compliance to protect the public."
MP Guy Marius Sagna also pointed out an important detail. The second press release is signed by the head of the communications unit, while the first bears the signature of the Director General of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP), Dr. Alioune Ibnou Abou Talib Diouf. "According to my research, it was the Inspection Directorate that drafted the text. The Inspection Directorate is the competent authority on this issue concerning sanitary napkins and Softcare diapers," the MP stated.
The fundamental question then remains: which regulatory authority should we trust? The one that claims the product is faulty or the one that maintains it is compliant? Citizens will find it difficult to know what to believe when faced with an agency that retracts its statements a week after making such serious claims.
Two very serious scenarios
In any case, one of two things is true: either the expired material was not used, or it was. In the first scenario, the ARP would reveal itself as an agency bordering on irresponsible, handling cases with unacceptable negligence, which later leads it to discover a reality contrary to its claims. In other words, there would be no scientific rigor in the verification process. In the second scenario, which is moreover the most plausible, the ARP did its job correctly and did indeed detect anomalies. But after its initial statement, it is forced to retract its findings for reasons beyond our control. In this case, the ARP, whatever its motivation, becomes complicit in endangering the lives of citizens through the use of a product unfit for consumption. This warrants an investigation to shed light on the matter.
Thus, the ARP's actions demonstrate that Senegalese citizens should not place their complete trust in these regulatory agencies. Citizen action is needed to exert pressure not only on manufacturers and traders, but also on the State and its various branches. Furthermore, given the situation, the public must demand explanations from the Ministry of Health, the ARP's supervisory body. It is now up to the department headed by Ibrahima Sy to shed light on this matter for the Senegalese people. SAMES asks for nothing more.
But this same expectation must be applied to Softcare. The factory's silence since this affair broke is astonishing. Yet, we all know that a company with nothing to hide would never accept such a tarnished image without reacting. In a free market economy, consumer confidence determines a company's prosperity or bankruptcy. Why would Softcare risk having its products rejected by Senegalese consumers without taking action, thus opening the door wide for its competitors? Perhaps it also benefits from a near-monopoly, like Sonatel in the telecommunications sector. After all, it must be acknowledged that Softcare products have become widely established in the Senegalese market. This gives them confidence in their position, even in the event of serious misconduct.
Commentaires (15)
ou WhatsApp : +15513493414. Je le recommande à toute personne souffrant de : diabète, arthrite, acouphènes, cancers, VPH, EBV, fibromes, gale, problèmes de prostate, herpès, dysfonction érectile, cholestérol, BPCO, maladie de Lyme, asthme, psoriasis, mycose.
Prix 1.800.000. Fcfa par hectare
Info 7.7.3.7.7.8.1.4.5
🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍏🍏🍏🍏🍏🍇🍇🍇🥦🥦🥦🥦🧅🧅🧅🧄🧄🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥒🥒🥬🥬🥬
En fin, les Sénégalais doivent boycotter cette société et ses produits et les associations de défense des consommateurs doivent se lever et être à la pointe de ce combat citoyen. Pour faire n'importe quelle activité, il faudrait au préalable être en bonne santé et aujourd'hui, la santé des populations est gravement menacée avec cette agence de réglementation qui ne réglemente rien.
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter ou TikTok pour l'afficher automatiquement.