E-DRUG: Publication of the Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2011
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Dear E-druggers,
I am pleased to announce that the online version of the Interagency
Emergency Health Kit 2011 is now available at:
www.who.int/medicines/publications/emergencyhealthkit2011 .
Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2011
UN agencies and international and nongovernmental organizations are
increasingly called upon to respond to large-scale emergencies to
prevent and manage serious threats to the survival and health of the
affected populations. Medicines and medical devices have been supplied
by relief agencies for decades. In the 1980s, the World Health
Organization (WHO) facilitated a process to encourage the
standardization of medicines and medical devices needed in emergencies
to allow efficient and effective responses to the need for medicines and
medical devices. This initial work led to the supply of standard,
pre-packed kits that could be kept in readiness to meet priority health
needs in emergencies. The concept of the emergency health kit has been
adopted by many organizations and national authorities as a reliable,
standardized, affordable and quickly available source of the essential
medicines and medical devices (renewable and equipment) urgently needed
in a disaster situation. Its content is based on the health needs of 10,000 people for a period of three months.
The Interagency Emergency Health Kit, now in its fourth edition,
explains how to use standardized packages of essential medicines,
supplies and equipment in such circumstances. The fourth edition, the
Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2011 (IEHK 2011), improves the kit
content and takes into account the need for mental health care in
emergency settings and the special needs of children. This document
provides background information on the composition and use of the
emergency health kit. Chapter 1 describes supply needs in emergency
situations and is intended as a general introduction for health
administrators and field officers. Chapter 2 explains the selection of
medicines and medical devices - renewable and equipment - that are
included in the kit, and also provides more technical details intended
for prescribers. Chapter 3 describes the composition of the kit, which
consists of basic and supplementary units.
The annexes provide references to treatment guidelines, sample forms, a
health card, guidelines for suppliers, other kits for emergency
situations, a standard procedure for importation of controlled
medicines, and useful addresses. A feedback form is also included to
report on experiences when using the emergency health kit, and to
encourage comments and recommendations on the contents of the kit from
distributors and users for consideration when updating the contents.
This is an interagency document published by the WHO Department of
Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies on behalf of the organizations
listed.
Best regards,
Deirdre Dimancesco
Technical Officer
Medicines, Access and Rational Use
Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products
World Health Organization
20 Ave Appia, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 791 4560
dimancescod@who.int