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From: Stella Etemesi [log in to unmask]
Medicine experts and stakeholders from s converged in Nairobi to discuss issues surrounding access to and rational use of medicines at a pan-African meeting hosted by HAI Africa in collaboration with the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) on 14-15 November 2007. Participants came from 15 sub-Saharan countries including: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. They included representatives from African civil society organizations (CSOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs), government officials from the Kenya, Uganda and Ghana Ministries of health as well as other stakeholders in the African pharmaceutical sector.
Held on the heels of the 30 year anniversary since the launch of the first Essential Medicines List (EML), the theme of the meeting - "Saving lives and saving money: Making access to and rational use of medicines a priority" - was reflective of the principles of the essential medicines concept that drove the development of the EML.
A major outcome of the essential medicines concept is that it has helped focus global and national attention on access to and appropriate use of essential medicines. Picking up on these two areas of "accessibility" and "rational use" various experts at the meeting spoke on the gains made in the 30 years of EML concept as well as on how barriers that hinder universal access to and appropriate use of essential medicines, especially in sub-Sahara Africa could be addressed.
A full report of the meeting is available at
http://www.haiafrica.org/downloads/pan_africa_meeting.pdf on the HAI Africa website. There is also a limited number of CD-ROMs containing presentations made at the meeting, available upon request from
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