E-drug: Evidence based guidelines (cont'd)
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Dear colleagues,
Essential drug information.
The issue of promoting essential drugs has long been a key element in
WHO's policy to ensure equity in care and health for all. We all know
that this is not enough, also essential drugs can be used wrongly,
irrationally and unsafely. In Vietnam, the essential drug process has
been included in our National drug policy. Over the past years, supply
of essential drugs has also improved. A real challenge now is to
address the use of these drugs, to achieve as much positive
contribution to health, as possible. From a wider economical
perspective, this is also much needed since ill health is becoming a
serious poverty-trap for households with small marginals.
Drug-spending take a considerable proportion of the cost of illness
now. Spent household-resources therefore need to give best possible
value for money, to limit duration of illness and time with lost income.
Thus, evidence based treatment guidelines and reliable drug
information are clearly needed, to promote the ideals of Equity and
Health for all!
Reading the E-drug debate input from Philippa Saunders, I wish to give
my strong support to her idea of a more visible "campaign" to improve
access to Essential Drug information. It is well known that
information-access in many developing countries is difficult. In
Vietnam this is also a challenge. The ongoing restructuring of the
economical system, with Doi moi market economy has clearly brought
a new need for strengthened independent drug information. Evidence
based treatment guidelines is only one aspect of this need. Here
commercial advertising is now very active, promoting a plethora of
"new" drugs for Vietnam. This needs to be balanced with the help of
a strengthened independent drug-information system. Such a system
is taking form in Vietnam now. There are now many actors and
processes; such as our drug information centers, treatment-guidelines,
a National physicians drug-use reference book, an ADR-monitoring
network, Drug and therapy committees and a Poison information
center. These structures and staff need now both to increase capacity
and competence. They would benefit much from opportunities to
establish long-lasting experience-exchange, with colleagues abroad. A
stronger essential drug information collaboration & experience
exchange program for drug-information professionals, would now be
very beneficial, both for the health-professionals and for their patients.
Sam Tornquist
Co van ve Su dung thuoc An toan va Hop ly
Adviser, rational and safe use of drugs
ADPC office, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam
138 B Giang Vo street
Tel +844-8446059
Fax +844-8231253
E-mail: adpc@netnam.org.vn
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