E-DRUG: essential drug mission Afghanistan
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[Press release from WHO. Please let us try to avoid sending
unwanted donations, like happened in former Yugoslavia.
NGOs interested in assisting Afghanistan should
contact the WHO staff in Kabul. WB]
A World Health Organisation team of essential drugs specialists has
arrived
in Kabul to begin work on re-establishing a drugs supply system in
Afghanistan. They will carry out a first assessment- the team will be
followed by later missions.
Afghanistan currently has no system in place to control the quality of
drugs
available in the country. The aim of the WHO mission is to help the
Ministry
of Health develop the capacity to undertake random testing to ward
against
potentially harmful medicines, such as unsuitable, expired or fake
drugs.
Afghanistan imports its drugs from neighbouring countries, including
Pakistan and Iran, or further abroad, often through private trading
without
proper oversight. Although there are quality drugs available, there is
no
way of knowing whether medicine bought privately is reliable.
Making sure the population has access to appropriate drugs depends on
the
ability of the government to regulate medical supplies. The WHO team
will
support health officials set up a standardised system to monitor drug
consumption and shipments to avoid shortages. This standardisation
should
allow proper planning which will take into account seasonal diseases,
such
as malaria or recurrent diseases such as tuberculosis.
Another concern is to standardise treatment protocols. This means
ensuring
that doctors treat patients for the same diseases in a similar manner
all
over the country. This will entail training of local doctors and
ensuring
the required drugs are available, even in remote areas.
For more information, please contact Loretta Hieber-Girardet, WHO
Spokesperson for the Afghanistan Crisis, at 92-300-854-0462 or
41-79-475-5549. E-mail: hiebergirardetl@who.int
or hiebergirardet@whoafg.org
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