Structures and processes |
• The KNDP needs to be revised so as to include the regulation of traditional medicines.
• Improve the capacity of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to effectively carry out its role.
• There is a need to allocate more funds to the health sector especially to cater for medicines.**
• There is need to develop a pricing policy on medicines.
• Strategies need to be developed so as to promote rational use of medicines.
• A functional National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee needs to be established, supported (financially and technically) and sustained.
• A functional National Medicines Management Information System/Logistics Management Information System needs to be established, supported (financially and technically) and sustained
** It is necessary to acknowledge the July 2004 launch of the National Social Health Insurance Fund whose monies could be used to improve access provided sustainability, staffing, training and capacity are adequately addressed within the Fund’s policy. |
Accessibility to medicines |
• Develop and implement interventions so as to increase the availability of medicines in health facilities.
• Investigate and develop interventions to reduce the long stock-out duration in public health facilities and regional warehouses.
• Investigate and develop strategies for improving the quality of stock records in both the public health facilities and regional warehouses.
• Investigate and develop interventions to ensure that all the prescribed medicines are dispensed to patients in public health facilities.
• Design, establish and maintain a system for the monitoring and dissemination of the cost of essential medicines to both suppliers and consumers so as to ensure the availability of essential medicines to the consumers at the minimum possible prices.
• Computerization to improve accessibility of drug information. |
Quality of medicines |
• Investigate the reasons and propose interventions to improve on the poor or inadequate storage conditions in the public health facilities and regional warehouses.
• Develop and implement mechanisms to ensure there are no medicines that expire in all the public health facilities and regional warehouses.
• Include indicators for assessing personnel qualification in the work place as this may influence quality. |
Rational medicine use |
• Develop guidelines and intervention measures to improve the labelling of medicines. These should be supported by extensive campaigns on the community based information, education and communication.
• There needs to be developed a mechanism of educating patients so that they know how to take their medicines correctly. Thus comprehensive community based information, education and communication campaigns need to be organised.
• Investigate and develop mechanisms to reduce the antibiotic use. Intensive prescriber and consumer education initiatives should also be undertaken to lower the demand for antibiotics.
• Investigate and develop interventions aimed at reducing the number of patients receiving injections.
• Investigate and develop mechanisms to improve the distribution of STGs and KEDL to all health facilities.
• There is need to develop and implement mechanisms of ensuring that prescribing by generic names is accomplished.
• Investigate reasons for current clinical management of the tracer conditions (e.g establish causes/reasons contributing to irrational medicine use overall).
• A functional Medicines Information Centre needs to be established with modern technology, supported (financially and technically) and sustained. |
Households |
• There is need to develop and implement information, education and communication campaigns to improve the rational use of medicines in communities. |
