PHM-Exch> WHO releases list of 30 drugs that need to be available (2)

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: massimo serventi <ser20 at hotmail.it>  from Bangui,Centrafique.


Yes, WHO released the list of essential drugs... once again.
But 'the fish have already escaped'! I mean, the market has won: the
pharmaceutical market.
I've worked in several countries in Africa and Asia. The trend is similar:
New, expensive, unecessary, western drugs have arrived, are flocking into
pharmacies, are liberally prescribed..... and charged to poor families to
buy.
As a pediatrician I am worried: it will become worse and worse.....

Principles of IMCI have died, for ever. Cancelled by the availability of
yeast, sachets and loperamide for a simple episode of diarrhoea, atropine
and metoclopramide for vomiting (!), dexamethasone IM for malaria (!!)
.... and all other possible nonsense drugs or laboratory tests that respond
to one requisite: to make money from the prescription and subsequent selling
of drugs or tests.

In fact, private dispensaries and health centres are mushrooming in the
cities. Anybody can open a pharmacy where s/he can prescribe whatever is
more profitable.

Poor people! Poor those mothers that are deprived of the little money they
have to buy food!

The IMCI progamme spent huge amounts of money: an evaluation should be done
--an honest evaluation I mean.

BANGUI
RCA
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