Health Policy Issues and Health Programmes in ... - Amazon S3

Streamlining the Drug Procurement and Supply System in Uttaranchalwith the drug supply strategy adopted in the state. The state may not require any centralmedical store if the procurement is decentralized.7. Human Resource Development This is an integral part of developing an effectiveprocurement system to promote rational use of drugs. A human resource developmentprogramme has to be developed and implemented in a continuing manner for all categoriesof functionaries involved in the procurement and supply system of the state. At the sametime, there is need for training of prescribers, both pre-service and in-service, throughseminars, workshops, group lectures, and distribution of printed material in the form ofnewsletters, treatment guidelines, drug formularies, and so forth. In many places, costinformation is also made available to prescribers. All this is in addition to the training andorientation of pharmacists, registered medical practitioners, and other drug providers, aswell as the general community.8. Establishing an Effective Drug Supply System The distribution of medicine to the farthestcorners of the state should be entrusted initially, in some districts, to rural drug cooperatives,as it has been done in some countries of WHO’s South-east Region. This would be in additionto restructuring and streamlining the government distribution system, which has proved tobe ineffective in many situations. If the involvement of the private sector improvesdistribution, then perhaps it could also, in due course, be entrusted with procurement anddistribution.9. Research and Development: As seen above, there is great scope for improvement inprocurement and supply systems. There should be a budgetary provision for suchcontinuing feedback and monitoring that would enable the states to make their system moreeffective and efficient and improve accessibility of drugs for people at the grass-roots level.References1 IIPS (International Institute of Population Sciences) and ORC Macro. 2002. National FamilyHealth Survey (NFHS- 2) India, 1998-99. Uttaranchal, Mumbai, IIPS.2 Managing Drug Supply: The Selection, Procurement, Distribution, and Use ofPharmaceuticals 1997. Management Sciences for Health in collaboration with WHO.Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA: Kumarian Press.3 A brief summary of the document is given in the annex.222