A review of relevant reports and literature held by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health (MOH), UNICEF, and others related to medicines for children was undertaken as part of the project “Better Medicines for Children” (BMC) in Ghana.

The BMC is a WHO-led project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for improving the availability, accessibility, and use of child-specific medicines in Africa and India. Ghana was one of the two countries selected from Africa for implementation of country specific interventions geared towards achieving this goal. The BMC project in Ghana forms part of the framework of the country’s programme of work meant to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 6 for reducing child mortality. Ghana embraced the BMC project because of its relevance with respect to access to medicines for children. The project also seeks to address issues within countries pertaining to existing child health policies.

The literature review assessed the existing knowledge about the supply and use of paediatric medicines, in general, and the 38 medicines on the global and supplementary lists of children’s medicines, in particular. The review identified aspects of the pharmaceutical sector that need to be enhanced in order to ensure availability and affordability of child-specific medicines. The review also considered the impact of factors such as rational selection, affordable prices, sustainable financing, and reliable health and supply systems...