Health education and information is carried out with the objective of:

- ensuring chat all health personnel in the programme area are aware of the programme, its purpose with regard to PHC and the kind of support they will be given to cope with the new situation caused by the programme

- ensuring that local opinion leaders and other elites know about the programme and its purposes and become motivated to play an active supportive role

- enabling health personnel and opinion leaders to inform the general public about the programme and its importance to improve PHC.

A. HEALTH EDUCATION AND INFORMATION AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

a) Is there a national health education service? If so, is this unit involved in the APED programme?

b) Is the health education service or another service involved in ensuring that the policy and principles of essential drugs are included in the curriculum of: medical students

- nursing students
- other health personnel
- school teachers
- public information personnel
- workers in other sectors whose functions involve education for health.

c) Describe briefly the information about essential drugs at the national level since the start of the programme specifying medium, subject matter, target population, frequency and those involved.

d) Is there an identifiable amount budgeted at the national level for health education about essential drugs? If so, how much?

B. HEALTH EDUCATION AND INFORMATION AT THE REGIONAL/DISTRICT LEVEL?

a) Is there a health education service in the region/district?

b) What are the means used for informing people of health problems?

C. HEALTH CENTRE/DISPENSARY LEVEL

a) At the introduction of the programme were government officers, health personnel and local opinion leaders briefed about the programme, its rationale and the kind of activities to be carried out?

b) Were the health personnel trained in improving their communication skills?

c) What kind of education and information material has been produced and introduced

- hand-outs
- posters
- booklets on the drug policy other
- flip-charts for training
- tape-recordings about drug behaviour
- street announcements
- song and local dramas
- advertisement in papers
- radio programmes.

d) Has the logo of the programme been introduced? If so, to which degree?

e) Describe in some detail the health education and information about essential drugs in the last 6 months specifying medium (play, demonstration, etc.), subject matter, target population, frequency and those involved (education department, NGO, health personnel, cultural groups, opinion leaders, etc.)?

f) Does the health education and information support the programme in relation to:

- drug security, both in reporting illegal sale and ensuring safety while in the health unit?

- the public accepting advice from the health workers, instead of insisting on drugs?

- unnecessary use of hospital facilities?

- the pubic not insisting on injections instead of drugs to be taken orally?

- the public refraining from pressuring rural health staff into prescribing unnecessary drugs?