E-drug: SEAM Country Assessments
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The following press release concerning the country assessments for MSH's
Strategies for Enhancing Access to Medicines (SEAM) initiative was sent out
earlier this week.
Please note the dates for the 2001 SEAM annual conference (September 25-27,
2001). Additional information about the conference and the schedule of
activities will be made available within the next month or two. This
information will be posted on the MSH web site ( www.msh.org ) as soon as
it becomes available.
Keith Johnson
Deputy Director, Strategic Drug Management Information
Management Sciences for Health
4301 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite #400
Arlington, VA 22203
U.S.A.
kjohnson@msh.org
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gretchen Hurley
703-248-1614
ghurley@msh.org
Management Sciences for Health Launches Country Surveys Measuring Access to
Medicines
The SEAM Program Conducts Country Assessments in Six Developing Countries
Washington, D.C., May 2: Management Sciences for Health (MSH) announced
today that the Strategies for Enhancing Access to Medicines (SEAM) Program
is conducting six country assessments to identify problems in access to
essential medicines. This follows an international conference in December
2000, co-hosted by MSH and the World Health Organization (WHO), where
indicators for measuring drug access were proposed.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, SEAM began the assessments
in Ghana and will continue over the next four months in five other
countries: Brazil (state of Minas Gerais), Cambodia, El Salvador, India
(state of Rajasthan), and Tanzania.
The indicators measure four aspects of drug access-availability, geographic
accessibility, affordability, and acceptability-along with the crosscutting
issue of quality for both services and products. Indicators are being
tested at national, health facility, and household levels. Results of the
country assessments will help MSH and other collaborating organizations
determine which indicators best assess drug access.
"These assessments will draw from the expertise of national and local
opinion leaders within each country to identify the major barriers to
access and appropriate initiatives to overcome them. Experts include
representatives from the public sector health care services, academic
institutions, non-governmental and consumer advocacy organizations, and
commercial firms," said David Lee, Deputy Director of the Center for
Pharmaceutical Management at MSH.
Following the conclusion of the assessments, the SEAM Program will host an
international conference from September 25-27, 2001 in Washington, D.C. The
conference will present the results of the six country assessments and will
provide a forum for discussing targeted interventions in two or three
countries.
The interventions will be developed with the collaboration and support of
local decision-makers and development organizations working within the
countries. The groups will develop and implement innovative systems that
increase consumer access to health commodities through increased use of
private sector infrastructure and services, as well as improve the quality
of private sector pharmaceutical services to support public health
objectives.
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About Management Sciences for Health
Management Sciences for Health is a private, non-profit organization that
works collaboratively with health care policy makers, managers, providers,
and clients to help close the gap between what is known and what is done to
solve basic health problems. MSH seeks to increase the effectiveness,
efficiency, equity, and sustainability of health and family planning
services by improving their management, promoting access to these services,
and influencing public policy. MSH has 30 years of experience providing
training and technical assistance in drug management and other health areas
in over 100 countries. Its skilled personnel, innovative methodologies, and
comprehensive textbooks, training materials, and software help promote
effective drug and health management in developing countries. For more
information, visit www.msh.org.
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to improving people's
lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community.
Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates, Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the
Seattle-based foundation has an asset base of $21 billion.
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