On Tuesday, local health officials appearing before a parliamentary committee were put to task to explain how they would tame what the MPs said was an increasing risk of exposing the public to health hazards by regulating the sale.
It was the first time the legislators from the northeastern state of Somalia were raising such an issue, a previously held taboo and often discussed behind closed doors. It raised banter on social media too.
“The medicine (viagra) results in a lot of dangers, including the deaths of some users,” MP Abdigani Dhashane said at the sitting.
His statement generated murmurs among other legislators. In reaction, Mr Dhashane added: “there is no embarrassment [to discuss this issue]. This is a serious health matter.”
Some members of the Puntland legislative assembly called for a ban on the drug primarily used on prescription to treat impotence in men.