Essential drugs national policy

Access strategy and monitoring for essential drugs (in particular for priority health policies and newly developed drugs). Financing mechanisms and affordable essential drugs. National and local public sector drug supply systems and supply capacity. 

To ensure avaUabihty at all times of essential, efficacious and cost effective drugs to the entire Ugandan population. National Drug Policy and Authority Statute, 1993. 

Ratanawijitrasin S. Soumerai S, Weerasuriya K. Do national drug policies and essential... 

The opinions expressed herein are the views of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the official policy of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or any other parts of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The US Government does not endorse or favor any specific commercial product or company. Trade, proprietary, or company names appearing in this publication are used only because they are considered essential in the context of the studies reported herein. 

In line with reasons developed by Baker and Carapinha, Kinsley Wilson and colleagues also accept the premise that the state is primarily responsible for ensuring access to essential medicines. They suggest that countries should develop a National Drug Policy (NDP) and accompanying implementation plans. Countries need to establish adequate processes as far as the registration, selection, procurement, and distribution of drugs are concerned. 

The following sections follow the framework developed by Cohen, Cercone, and Macaya (2002) to discuss government responsibilities in facilitating a robust pharmaceutical system and access to essential medicines. The discussion begins with national drug policies, followed by responsibilities in registration, selection, procurement, distribution, and service delivery. The discussion concludes with policy considerations. 

The selection of essential medicines is one of the seven key components of a national drug policy (the other corn-... 

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