The General Managers of the Essential Drugs National Purchasing Centres, members of the ACAME (African Association of Essential Drugs National Purchasing Centres), meeting this day in Dakar, would like to remind the mission entrusted to them by the authorities of their respective countries:

This mission consists in supplying, to bodies authorized by their supervising Ministries, quality generic essential drugs as well as medical and surgical consumables registered on the National Lists of their respective countries, at affordable price for the populations.

This mission includes assessing needs, undertaking contracts, control, storage and supply, in compliance with the countries pharmaceutical policy requirements.

ACAME's General Managers, meeting in Dakar, however, are concerned by the exclusion of most National Purchasing Centres from drug supply to programmes related to the three priority diseases: antiretroviral drugs (ARV), new combined artemisia-based antimalarial drugs (ACT), and tuberculosis drugs.

Therefore, they solemnly call upon their respective supervising authorities, health development partners and donors...