E-DRUG: Ghana launches Standard Treatment Guidelines 2004
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Dear E-druggers
The 5th Edition of the Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) and Essential Medicines List (EML) 2004 for Ghana has been launched at a colourful and extremely well attended ceremony in Accra, Ghana. The two books were launched by the Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Afriyie with the Deputy Minister of Health, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service and the Chairman of the National Health Insurance Council all present. The Presidents of the Ghana Medical Association, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, and the Nurses Association were all present together with their executives and memberships. The theme for the launch was 'Standard Treatment Guidelines 2004- ensuring cost effective health care'.
The STG 2004 is an improved version of Ghanas STG 2000. Like the latter, it is evidence-based with evidence rating attached to each recommendation. The new STG has 530 drug entities. There are 83 deletions of medicines and 48 additions, partly to take into consideration the new WHO Model List of Essential List particularly the inclusion of anti-retroviral medicines. In addition, the use of British Approved Names (BAN) in previous edition has been superseded in the current one by the adoption and use of recommended
International Non-proprietary Names (rINN).
The occasion for the launch saw the Editor of the Nations premier daily newspaper, the Daily Graphic giving a short but insightful and well received lecture on the topic: 'Do Ghanaians get standardized treatment in any health facility they attend?'
The STG and EML 2004 have been launched at a very opportune time coinciding with the full scale nationwide implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana. The NHIS has adopted the two books as the fundamental documents governing standards of care under the scheme. Furthermore, the NHIS medicine list for reimbursements will be very similar to the EML.
Ghana has a great opportunity and impetus to roll out the STG on a wide scale and the health insurance scheme provides opportunity and the tools to monitor adherence to the STG.
Copies of the STG and EML 2004 are available at the Ghana National Drugs Programme.
For further inquiries please contact the Programme Manager at
gndp@ighmail.com.
Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt(Mrs.)
Ag. Programme Manager
Ghana National Drugs Programme
P.O. Box MB 582
Accra-Ghana
e-mail: gndp@ighmail.com
maglutt@hotmail.com
Tel: + 233-21 661670/71
Fax: + 233-21 664309
Cell Phone: +233-24 32 8787
[Congrats to Ghana National Drugs programme!
Any chance to get an electronic copy on the Internet? WB]