1104 NEWS ON MEDICINES and HEALTH - April 2011

Mali - 7 tons of counterfeit medicines intercepted!

In the district of Koury, Mali Customs catched last March a batch of 7 tonnes of fake drugs from Nigeria destined to a Malian operator. This outlet is the largest catch this service has made ​​these past three years. The thugs had thought of all diseases. There were, among others, over 35,660 tablets of paracetamol, 1,680 doses of syrup of malaria, chloroquine, vitamin C, balms, capsules and other syrups. Many African countries are victims of counterfeit drugs. This is a major cause of the high mortality rates in the population. In Senegal, for example, about 350 000 deaths annually are caused by counterfeit drugs.


In French: http://www.legriot.info/2192-mali-7-tonnes-de-medicaments-contrefaits-interceptes/

 

The impact of user fees on access to health services

Studies conducted in 12 countries on the impact of user fees on people’s access to health services showed mixed results. When user fees were introduced or increased: people’s use of preventive healthcare services decreased. However, when the introduction of fees went together with quality improvement in health services, people’s use of curative services increased and poor parts of the population increased the use of health care services.  The removal of user fees had usually no immediate impact on people’s use of preventive healthcare services. But people’s use of these services did increase after some time. When user fees were decreased there was an increase in the use of preventive and curative healthcare services. Results were mixed and there was uncertainty about the effects of user fees on health service use.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21491414

The Sub-Saharan African Medical Schools Portal

The Sub-Saharan African Medical Schools Study (SAMSS), is a portal for information on medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reports and articles that shed light on the current state of medical education in the region or describe innovations and trends that will shape the future of medical education in Africa are highlighted. It also provide links to relevant resources as well as information about the pioneering work done by the SAMSS team. Clicking on a country in the map you can find the medical schools in that country.

http://www.samss.org/

Congo-Kinshasa – Pharmacists lobby the National Assembly

To protect the population against diseases, pharmacists in DR Congo have lobbied the Parliamentarians in charge of preparing the legislation. They demanded the establishment of facilities that comply with pharmaceutical standards. Furthermore they called for the establishment of appropriate regulations for medicines circulating in the country, as irrational use of drugs leads to their ineffectiveness. Pharmacists mentioned that the poor preservation and the sale of illegal drugs, together with the bad advice given by unauthorized persons illegally engaged in pharmacy accentuate this phenomenon.

 

In French: http://www.lepotentiel.cd/2011/04/plaidoyer-des-pharmaciens-aupres-de-l%E2%80%99assemblee-nationale.html

 

Nurse from rural Zambia awarded Swiss leadership prize

Agnes Lisulo Mulemwa, a Zambian nurse is spending her retirement years making a difference in the lives of women in her rural community. She has been awarded the Sylvia Michel Prize offered by the World Communion of Reformed Churches and Women Presidents of Regional Swiss Reformed Churches - for having created the Liyoyelo Batik Centre in Senanga (South-west Zambia) that provides training in income generating skills. Mulemwa has formed a network of church women active in community service called the Anamoyo .

http://www.wfn.org/2011/03/msg00123.html  

 

German police on the trail of ARV drugs destined to South Africa

German police are investigating several pharmaceutical wholesalers for allegedly diverting cut-price antiretroviral drugs from South Africa to Germany.Germany's Aids Aid Society denounced the trade, saying it may have deprived South Africans of life-saving medicine. Police say they tracked down two shipments in 2009 of Norvir pills via Switzerland, Belgium and Britain to one German wholesaler. The 300 boxes of the patent medicine were put into German-language packaging and sold.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Cheap-Aids-drugs-diverted-from-SA-20110224-2

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