Many health facilities and county-level stores in South Sudan are practically overflowing with medicines. For a young country plagued by political instability and insufficient health care infrastructure, an abundance of medical supplies may seem to be an advantage. Instead, the situation holds the potential for a public health catastrophe: many of these medicines are expired … Read more
Ensuring the Availability of Life-Saving Commodities in a Fragile State In December 2013, the fragile peace that held the newly independent country of South Sudan collapsed into renewed fighting. Since then, violence has led to massive outflows of people to nearby Ethiopia and the economy has steadily deteriorated in the absence of oil revenues. Throughout … Read more
After decades of relying on old medicines, new drugs designed specifically for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) are finally on the market. While these medicines represent a major advancement in the fight against TB, ensuring equitable access for patients is still an enormous challenge. At the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health, the USAID-funded … Read more
November is Prematurity Awareness Month in the US, and the 17th is World Prematurity Day. But I never need any reminders about the importance of access to medicines and services for premature babies. Every November, I celebrate the birthday of my own little preemie. On November 30, 1997, I went into labor just after reaching 32 … Read more
Accounting for more than one million under-five deaths each year, pneumonia is the leading killer of children under the age of five worldwide, claiming more lives than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. This year’s World Pneumonia Day (WPD) theme is “universal access to pneumonia prevention and care”. In commemoration of WPD, child health advocates are … Read more
Edgar Almoguera, Sr., has been working as a public health nurse in Old Balara Health Center in Quezon City, Metro Manila, since 1994. Primary healthcare services such as maternal and child care and TB directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) are provided by the center to 14,800 families in this urban neighborhood, or barangay. As the … Read more
The National Pharmaceutical Policy (NPP) of Mali aims to ensure equitable access to and the rational use of essential medicines. This requires not only a good logistical management information system, but also coordination among key actors. In May 2014, Mali’s Regional Health Department in Segou, with the support of SIAPS/Mali, held its first quarterly meeting … Read more
