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
This year’s National Annual Review led by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) brought together more than 850 health professionals from across the country to discuss the way forward in public health for the coming year. The MoH identified eight priority areas, one of them being SIAPS/Ethiopia’s transformative APTS system—the first time a pharmacy area was selected … Read more
The National Pharmaceutical Policy (NPP) of Mali aims to ensure equitable access of essential medicines and promote their rational use for the people of Mali. 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, … Read more
In Swaziland, SIAPS has been supporting the Ministry of Health in developing both the Pharmacy Bill to regulate the profession and practice of pharmacy, and the Medicines and Related Substances Bill to regulate the registration, importation, and use of medicines and related substances. The two bills have been passing through the legislative process and are … Read more
In an effort to strengthen national HIV/AIDS pharmacovigilance activities, the National Pharmacovigilance Center (NPC) has established a cost-effective way of promoting the safe, effective use of medicines in South Africa through the implementation of a decentralized pharmacovigilance program. This new initiative is being carried out with support from the Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals … Read more
The support of Community Service Pharmacists (CSPs) in Limpopo province has contributed to improvements in medicine supply management and better compliance with quality standards at the primary health care (PHC) level. In 2013, the Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided … Read more
This year’s National Annual Review, led by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health (MoH), brought together more than 850 health professionals nationwide to discuss ways to advance public health in the coming year. SIAPS/Ethiopia’s APTS system was among the eight priority areas identified for discussion by the MoH—the first time a pharmacy area has been included on the … Read more
