E-DRUG: Stockouts of essential medicines
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Dear all,
Health Action International Africa together with other NGOs in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia recently carried out an "sms pill check week" to gather information from public sector health facilities about stock-outs / low availability for ten basic, essential medicines.
During the 'pill check week', researchers visited public health institutions countrywide and checked on the availability of a list of 10 essential medicines. These are medicines, that, according to the (WHO) "satisfy the needs of the majority of the population and therefore should be available at all times, in adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage forms and at a price the individual and community can afford" Such medicines should therefore be readily available in public health facilities.
The survey found that there is an essential medicines crisis looming in the four countries. A major stock-out of essential medicines has been established in the over 100 Government hospitals and clinics surveyed across the countries.
Using innovative technology, the team then reported the results through short messaging services (SMS) to a common site, and the data has been reflected visually in an online mapping of the country that shows areas where medication is out of stock.
You can see the interactive map with the results on www.stopstockouts.org.
These were not comprehensive, exhaustive surveys but their efforts were great enough to clearly demonstrate the reality of stock-outs in various regions of their countries.
The "stop stock-outs campaign" is hoping to continue with the sms campaign and will in the future implement a standard short-code (e.g. 4 digit) sms system in three of these countries so that patients experiencing a stock-out at their health facility can sms the medicine stock-out to a central database. Such evidence can be used to further push government's to provide free essential medicines at all public health institutions and to inform them about the struggles on the ground that people experience every day.
Regards,
Redemtor Atieno
Network and Communications Officer
Health Action International (HAI) Africa
Bush House, opposite Polish Embassy
Kabarnet Lane off Ngong Road
P.O. Box 66054 00800
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 3860434-6
Fax: +254 20 3860437
Email: redemtor@haiafrica.org ; info@haiafrica.org
Website: http://www.haiafrica.org
Health Action International (HAI) Africa is a growing regional network of Civil Society Organizations, Non-governmental Organizations, healthcare providers, academics and individuals in Sub Saharan Africa, focussed on promoting policies and practices that increase people's access to quality essential medicine that are correctly prescribed and appropriately used. HAI Africa has contacts in 30 African countries and is part of the global HAI network.