![]() However, the extent to which the evidence-based approach has been implemented in developing countries is not well documented. By contrast, essential medicines in developing countries, including Tanzania, are selected by expert committees that supposedly use the WHO’s guidelines, which recommend selection to be based on evidence of efficacy, safety, cost and cost-effectiveness. Cost-effectiveness evaluation is a mandatory criterion employed to inform decision-making. Most developed countries have health technology assessment (HTA) systems, such as the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH), which issue formulary recommendations for reimbursement decisions. Įssential Medicine Selection in Developing Countries The NEML is also used to guide the procurement and supply of medicines in the public sector. The STG contains recommendations about appropriate healthcare decisions for common disease conditions in Tanzania and the NEML specifies the type of medicines and level of healthcare facility for which they should be made available. A year later, the country launched its first Standard Treatment Guidelines and National Essential Medicine List (STG/NEML), which has subsequently been revised three times. In 1990, Tanzania produced a national health policy document for the first time, adopting the Primary Health Care approach as its cornerstone strategy. In 1978, the provision of essential medicines was declared to be one of the key elements of Primary Health Care through the Alma Ata Declaration. The programme was later adopted by the WHO, and in 1977 the first WHO modal list of essential drugs was produced. Tanzania, one of the pioneers of the essential medicines programme, produced its first list of essential medicines in the early 1970s. The Essential Medicines Programme in Tanzania: Historical Perspective Consistent and appropriate use of adequately developed treatment guidelines and formularies improve the availability and use of medicines, ,, and their effective implementation not only increases efficiency in resource use but also improves access and the overall quality of care,. For many countries, essential medicines are those recommended in their treatment guidelines. The essential medicines programme entails stocking a limited range of efficacious, safe and cost-effective medicines that are sufficient to meet the priority health needs of the people. Efforts to improve access to essential medicines have been revitalised by the Millennium Development Goals and a renewed global focus on Primary Health Care. Commonly mentioned problems are insufficient public spending on pharmaceuticals, the high cost of medicines and challenges in the supply chains. Shortages of essential medicines are common in publicly-financed facilities, which constitute a major part of the health systems in most developing countries, , and which are especially important for poor families seeking affordable services. Insufficient access to essential medicines is a major health challenge in developing countries among poor populations more than half have been estimated to lack regular access to medicines. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ĭompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.įunding: The study is part of a PhD training that is funded by the Norwegian State Education Loan Fund (Statens Lånekasse) through Quota Program. Received: JAccepted: NovemPublished: January 8, 2014Ĭopyright: © 2014 Mori et al. PLoS ONE 9(1):Įditor: Yu-Kang Tu, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Citation: Mori AT, Kaale EA, Ngalesoni F, Norheim OF, Robberstad B (2014) The Role of Evidence in the Decision-Making Process of Selecting Essential Medicines in Developing Countries: The Case of Tanzania. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |