Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action
Scaling up Community Access to Quality Medicines and Care
The Challenge
Most people in rural areas of Africa often first turn to their local drug shops for their medicines and health care advice needs. These shops may not be legally licensed, have staffs that are often untrained, and sell medicines that may be of uncertain quality or that they are not allowed to dispense. Regulatory inspection is infrequent and shops receive no supportive supervision.
Our Commitment
Management Sciences for Health has committed to bringing quality essential medicines to 70 million people in rural communities by scaling up sustainable accredited drug seller programs in five African nations, starting with Uganda, Tanzania, and Liberia, by 2015. The MSH Commitment to Action was made at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in September in New York. Drawing on the power of private-public partnerships, more private drug shops will be accredited, more dispensers will be trained, and more legal drugs will be sold to the millions of people who first turn to their community drug shop for medicine and health care advice.
Our Approach
The innovative model relies on public-private partnerships at the national, district and community levels. Governments develop and enforce quality standards, while providing economic incentives such as authorization to legally sell a number of prescription-only medicines. When these sales are coupled with the sale of non-prescription medicines, medical supplies, and personal care products, the likelihood of profitability and long-term sustainability of the accredited shops increases. Private sector partners contribute to accreditation costs (including training), product supply, shop renovations, and financing. The shop owners have a vested interest in the success of their business as do their employees. The communities served by these shops benefit from increased access to quality medicines and health advice.
Where We Work
Tanzania, Uganda, and Liberia are each in different phases of planning, initiation, or scale up of accredited drug seller programs. Through our work in these three countries (plus 2 TBDs), we expect not only to expand access to medicines in additional geographical areas, but to solidify the view that such initiatives are feasible, effective, and sustainable. Building on the foundation of the existing program (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), MSH will expand the drug sellers program into two additional African countries. The program will only go where invited by the host country.