EPN - Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network

Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) in collaboration with Health Action International (HAI) - Africa will host a pan African Expert meeting on Access to and Rational Use of Essential Medicines. The meeting will be held at La Mada Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya from 14th to 16th November 2007. The theme of the meeting is: “Saving lives and saving money; Making Access to and Rational Use of Medicines a Priority”.

View the concept paper: Access to and rational use of essential medicines. [PDF. 70Kb]

Thirty years ago, the Essential Drugs Concept was introduced to the world when the World Health Organization (WHO) published the first Model List of Essential Medicines.  The essential drug list is applicable to all countries and at various levels (national, provincial, district, hospital) and is therefore especially valuable in poor-resource settings, as it allows one to get the best medicines for the resources available.

Tragically, up to one third of the global population still do not have regular access to essential medicines. In some sub-Saharan Africa countries, more than half of the population lack access to essential medicines. This is due to a number of problems associated with the provision and utilization of medicines in developing countries, such as: inequitable access to cost-effective safe medicines, unaffordable prices, irrational selection and use of medicines, unfair health financing mechanisms and unreliable health and supply systems among others.

By prioritizing access to essential medicines (AEM) and rational use of medicines (RUM) to address these barriers, developing countries can save lives and save money by ensuring that appropriate treatment reaches those who need it and resources designated for essential medicines are appropriately used and not wasted.

•     To establish a wider understanding of AEM and RUM issues;
•     To promote stronger links between CSOs, FBOs and other partners in participating countries;
•     To generate ideas for future areas of action and potential collaborations.

About 40 participants will be invited from the following countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Central Africa Republic, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Eritrea.