Health Action International Africa

Health Action International Africa is part of an independent global network, working to increase access to essential medicines and improve their rational use through research excellence and evidence-based advocacy.

HAI's global newsletter features international health issues and news from HAI groups worldwide. It is produced four times per year by the HAI Asia/Pacific regional office in Sri Lanka.

New publication: Are medicines available and affordable for Kenyan consumers?

Book: The Costly Access to Essential Medicines in KenyaBook: The Costly Access to Essential Medicines in KenyaAccording to quarterly medicine price and availability monitoring surveys conducted in Kenya by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and HAI Africa since 2006, many Kenyans can't access the medicines they need. High prices is one of the main reasons.

The key findings from the monitoring surveys are that:

* Availability of essential medicines is low in the public sector. On average, the medicines surveyed are available in less than 60% of the public facilities.
* The prices of medicines are highest in the private sector, and lowest in the public sector.
* For most Kenyans, essential medicines are simply unaffordable, whether in public, private or mission (faith-based) health facilities. The prices of medicines places them out of reach for the majority of Kenyans living in poverty.
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New Publication on Medicine Prices Issues

ImageImageA new publication entitled Medicine Pricing Matters has been published by HAI and the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of their medicine prices and availability project. The publication can be accessed through the HAI Europe website: http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) and HAI published the medicine prices survey tool in mid-2003, over 50 surveys have been conducted across the globe. The survey tool measures medicine prices, availability, affordability, and price components in the supply chain from manufacturer to patient. A number of countries are considering policy changes in response to survey findings, and some are now regularly monitoring prices and availability, including three African countries: Uganda, Kenya and Uganda.

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Information Resource List

HAI Africa has prepared an index of online resources which provides links to some key work on various issues that relate to access to medicines. While this resource list is not exhaustive, it is hoped that it will be a helpful reference point. Most of the materials are freely available online. HAI Africa will periodically update this list.

Download the Microsoft Word document (224KB)

   

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