Stop Stock-outs Campaign: Uganda Kibira Denis (MPS) HEPS-UGANDA 27 th May 2010

Context In Uganda, according to the Pharmaceutical Situation Assessment-Level II-Health Facility Survey Report 2008 of Ministry of Health, only 45.7% public health facilities had a basket of 28 essential medicines. The duration of stock-outs in these facilities in averaged 2.5months per year Medicines are free in the public sector; in the private sector they cost 3-5 times more than international reference prices

Stock-outs

Methods CSO coalition/alliances Partnerships with other stakeholders ; MoH, Private sector through MeTA Champions: Patients, MPs and local artists Monitoring Medicines availability and price survey reports by MoH/WHO/HAI (HEPS) Campaign IEC material Press conferences, public rallies and fora, radio talk shows Community outreaches/road shows

Artist Bobi Wine wows crowd

Artist Bobi Wine on bike with Woman MP Nabila

Overall availability of 40 key medicines across sectors

Price trends of key antimalarial medicines in the private sector

Cont’d Pill-check public campaigns

Achievements Stop Stock-outs campaign has raised more awareness about the right to health and to access essential medicines in Uganda than ever before leading to wide media and public outcry NMS responses to media articles and delivery schedules in news papers NMS granted financial and operational autonomy President and other politicians have come out to publicly condemn stock outs Creation of Drug Monitoring Unit

Medicines on spotlight

Conclusion The campaign has used evidence on availability and prices of medicines to highlight problem of access It is now time to move on to more specific commodities especially RH supplies

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