How to Develop and Implement a National Drug Policy (Second Edition): Part II: Key components of a national drug policy: 6. Drug financing: 6.1 Challenges

How to Develop and Implement a National Drug Policy (Second Edition)
(2001; 96 pages) [French] [Spanish]

Table of Contents

Contributors
Abbreviations and acronyms
Preface
Part I: How to develop and implement a national drug policy
	1. Introduction
		1.1 Essential drugs are not used to their full potential
		1.2 What is a national drug policy?
		1.3 Key components of a national drug policy
	2. The national drug policy process
		2.1 Overview of the national drug policy process
		2.2 Formulating a national drug policy
		2.3 Implementing a national drug policy
		2.4 Monitoring and evaluation
	3. Legislation
		3.1 Importance of legislation and regulations
		3.2 Framework for drug legislation
		3.3 Developing drug legislation and regulations
Part II: Key components of a national drug policy
	4. Selection of essential drugs
		4.1 Essential drugs
		4.2 Old problems and new challenges
		4.3 Strategies for the selection of essential drugs
		4.4 Traditional and herbal medicines
	5. Affordability
		5.1 Challenges
		5.2 Strategies to increase affordability
	6. Drug financing
		6.1 Challenges
		6.2 Drug financing options
	7. Supply systems
		7.1 Public or private? Or mixed?
		7.2 Drug procurement
		7.3 Local manufacture
		7.4 Distribution strategies
		7.5 Drug supply in emergency situations
	8. Drug regulation
		8.1 Need for drug regulation and quality assurance
		8.2 Basic requirements for drug regulation
		8.3 Core elements of drug regulation
		8.4 Stepwise approach to drug registration
		8.5 Quality
		8.6 Safety
		8.7 Efficacy
		8.8 Information and drug promotion
		8.9 Information exchange with WHO and with other agencies
	9. Rational use of drugs
		9.1 Why is it important to promote rational use?
		9.2 Challenges
		9.3 Planning for activities to promote rational use of drugs
		9.4 Core strategies to improve drug use
		9.5 Educational strategies
		9.6 Managerial strategies to promote rational drug use
		9.7 Regulatory strategies to promote rational drug use
		9.8 Promoting rational drug use in the private sector
	10. Research
		10.1 Introduction
		10.2 Strategies to promote research
	11. Human resources development
		11.1 Introduction
		11.2 Strategies for human resource development
	12. Monitoring and evaluation
		12.1 Monitoring and evaluation are part of a national drug policy
References
Selected WHO publications and documents of related interest
Back cover

6.1 Challenges

Inadequate resources

Ensuring stable and adequate financing for health care is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of the combined effects of economic pressures, continued population growth and the growing burden of disease. Health care resources are stretched by the demographic shift to older populations, with more costly chronic diseases, the emergence of new diseases such as AIDS, and the resurgence of older diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria, which need increasingly costly drugs because of growing resistance to the earlier drugs.

Achieving equity

Market-oriented “Laissez-faire” policies are not geared to protecting the needs of the poorest people, and without government involvement the poor may be denied access to drugs. Ensuring access to essential drugs, particularly in remote areas, can be a major challenge to those involved in developing and implementing drug policy.