Forty days after the Ministry of Health officially announced an "immediate" investigation into the SOFTCARE case, no information has been released. No report, no conclusions, no visible measures. This situation is fueling concern and reigniting the debate on transparency and health safety in Senegal.

On December 18, 2025, following an inspection conducted by the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP), the Ministry of Health issued a statement affirming that a mission would be diligently deployed to shed full light on the products marketed by SOFTCARE.

The announcement was intended to be reassuring, in a context marked by serious questions about the compliance and safety of certain health products. But since then, no concrete follow-up has been communicated. Meanwhile, the products in question continue to circulate on the national market without apparent restrictions, causing incomprehension among many civil society actors and healthcare professionals.

For the "Spotlight on the SOFTCARE Affair" Collective, this prolonged silence can no longer be interpreted as mere administrative delay. "Forty days, in a public health case, is not a detail. It's a warning sign," they stated in a press release issued on January 26.

According to its members, the lack of official communication reinforces the idea of a lack of political will to inform the public. "Public health cannot be managed like an ordinary matter. When it comes to medicines or health products, the precautionary principle should prevail," the group emphasizes.

These efforts have gone unanswered.

Since the publication of the ministerial statement, the group claims to have taken numerous initiatives, including organizing a press conference, sending official letters to the relevant authorities, and making formal requests for access to information. All these efforts have reportedly gone unanswered.

This situation fosters a sense of contempt and abandonment among citizens engaged in public health issues. "Transparency, the Jub, Jubal, Jubanti, must not remain a political slogan. It is a democratic imperative, especially when people's lives are at stake," the collective insists. Faced with this persistent opacity, the "Light on the SOFTCARE Affair" Collective is raising its voice. It warns that if no truth is made public and if no concrete measures are taken in the coming days, large-scale actions will be undertaken. Among the options being considered are a total boycott of SOFTCARE products and the organization of a large demonstration in front of the Ministry of Health to demand accountability and guarantees regarding health safety.

A matter of trust and health sovereignty

Beyond the SOFTCARE case, this affair raises a broader question: that of the State's capacity to effectively protect citizens from health risks and to regulate a sector where the economic stakes are considerable. "There will be no trust without truth, nor health sovereignty without citizen oversight," the collective insists, reiterating that the right to information and health protection is a fundamental right.

At a time when Senegal aims to strengthen its healthcare system and pharmaceutical sovereignty, the SOFTCARE case appears as a major test for the authorities. A test of transparency, accountability, and respect for the public's right to be protected from any harm.