With an increasing number of people needing access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries, the importance of regulation and ensuring reliable surveillance systems are crucial to guaranteeing all medicines and commodities provided to patients are safe, effective and meet approved quality standards. However, few low- and middle- income countries benefit from having adequate pharmaceutical … Read more
The main challenge in Lesotho’s pharmaceutical sector is the unreliable supply of essential medicines as well as the fact that the quality of medicines circulating in the country is not known. One of the major reasons is inefficiencies within the supply chain system, specifically weak information management systems that do not support decision-making in supply … Read more
Treatment guidelines are important to implement safe and effective practices that are based on clinical evidence. The Ethiopian Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Guidelines, last updated in 2008, were based on the latest WHO recommendations at the time. According to the guidelines, all new patients receiving ART should be on a three-drug regimen that contains the HIV … Read more
Tesfa Taye is a pharmacist and representative of the Pharmacy Case Team at Selam Health Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is constantly reminding patients to come to the health center to collect their medicines at their scheduled appointment because he knew this would improve his patients’ adherence to treatment. Tesfa had tried several times … Read more
“Respectful maternal care was said to be more than just a means to an end, and can be framed as several issues: human rights, quality of care, equity and public health,” Jocalyn Clark, senior editor of PLoS Medicine, noted on the final day of the 2013 Global Maternal Health Conference (GMHC). Quality of care seems … Read more
“If we don’t have drugs, we don’t have programs,” Dr. Angélica Salomão of the World Health Organization Africa Region said, summing up the motivation behind the 2nd Africa TB Regional Conference on Management of TB Medicines. From December 5-7, 2012 representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), National Tuberculosis Programs (NTP), global TB partners and … Read more
The January 2013 edition of the SIAPS Bangladesh quarterly newsletter is now available for download and includes a variety of updates on – Expansion of e-TB Manager in Bangladesh Revision of the Directorate General of Family Planning Supply Manual Case Study: Relieving Overstock of Oral Contraceptives Assessing the Drug Regulatory and Pharmacovigilance Systems Download [PDF – 499KB] … Read more
Preservice curriculum reform is a cost-effective and sustainable intervention that leads to broader health system strengthening. It provides students with a critical foundation of knowledge and skills and develops their competency to practice in the real world. Effective preservice training reduces the need for future large-scale and expensive in-service trainings. Based on SIAPS’ and its … Read more
*Read an update on the conference here. Approximately 800 women die every day from preventable causes associated with pregnancy and childbirth, according to the World Health Organization. But many of these deaths can be prevented with access to adequate health services with skilled health providers administering essential medicines and supplies to patients. SIAPS’ work on … Read more
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major public health issue in South Sudan as recent estimates show a maternal mortality rate of 2,054 deaths per 100,000 live births. Compounded with an equally high infant mortality of 102 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality of 135 per 1,000 live births, South Sudan’s maternal and child health … Read more
