E-drug: Re: WHO EDL Committee to consider 6 more antiretrovirals
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Jamie Love wrote:
The better list or better name would be "essential health care
inventions." There are important access and R&D issues for blood
screening technologies, viral load tests, and many other
inventions that are not drugs or medicines.
I think Jamie touches on one of the key issues and unmet
challenges in the rationalisation of health service supplies,
particularly in developing countries.
Over the past 25 years WHO and others have put enormous efforts
into creating a rational framework for all aspects of drug supply and
use, and have had great success in gaining wide acceptance for and
understanding of the essential drugs concept. It is currently meeting
the challenge of modernising the process and contents of the Model
List of Essential Drugs. It is likely, given the rapid changes in global
health and therapeutics, that the single-minded efforts and energies
of the EDM will continue to be required to maintain progress - most
would agree that it is vital that this work continues to be supported,
not least financially.
At the same time no parallel, comprehensive approach has
developed for the wider biomedical needs of health services. This
may well be because non-drug consumables, laboratory and other
equipment, and diagnostics comprise a highly complex sub-set of
medical technologies. Within WHO responsibilities for them are
scattered over different departments.
Although the work would be daunting indeed, WHO should perhaps
begin to gear up to meeting the needs in this area, with all the
organisational implications such a commitment would involve. An
essential medical supplies policy and list(s) would open the door to
more rational choices, economic procurement, better training,
improved support for maintenance, improvements in staff safety,
more appropriate donations, and safe disposal practices. Above all
it would save the lives of patients.
Best wishes,
Philippa Saunders
Essential Drugs Project
77 Lee Road
Blackheath
London SE3 9EN, UK
tel/fax: 44 (0)20 8318 1419
email: edp@gn.apc.org
PS. On this subject, ECHO International Health Services
(www.echohealth.org.uk) has produced a book: 'Medical Supplies
and Equipment for Primary Health Care - a practical resource for
procurement and management', which deserves to be better
known. It may be downloaded from the website.
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