In January and February 2009 the National MeTA Secretariat and MeTA National Stakeholder Forum developed a draft Action Plan for 2009-2010 to focus on 3 principal issues:

• strengthening the pharmaceutical system by making regulation more open and ensuring easy access to information on drugs;
• assessing the quality of drugs on the market, and of the impact of existing legislation on transparency and accountability; and
• designing and carrying out a public awareness campaign on medicines, focusing on poor quality and counterfeit medicines to be avoided.

 

Members of the Secretariat and the National MeTA Council acknowledged their awareness of the many other issues needing to be tackled later on, such as high prices; the non-availability of medicines, especially in rural areas; rational drug use and the use of generics; monitoring of drug side-effects; improving the procurement system and the supply chain; corruption and ethical issues; and appropriate and patient-friendly practice in pharmacies.

 

The national launch, scheduled for April 16 2009, is expected to increase awareness and mobilise support for taking the process forward. Organisers intend the public campaign to be the start of what will be a continual public relations effort to raise awareness among the population in general about what META goals and principles are, what activities have recently been undertaken in the country, etc. Communication tools will include ongoing press releases, newsletters, bulletins, interviews with decision-makers, roundtables/press conferences, and the like. One planned activity is the creation of a single online space where all information on medicines is accessible to everyone, both consumers and professionals. However, taking into account lack of access to the internet in remote areas, MeTA will explore message delivery through any means available and popular among people residing in hard-to-reach villages -  and in appropriate languages. This will mean not only materials (leaflets, bulletins, booklets, etc.) but also "distributors" and "educators", who could be health providers, pharmacists, village health committees, local village administrations, and/or local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in a particular area.

 

To inform and shape this process, organisers are beginning with two pilot efforts, including conducting a drug quality survey. Based on the lessons learned, MeTA will develop strategies/recommendations on how to expand and maximise transmission of health/drug information to the general public, as well as to health practitioners and pharmacists, to ensure flow of information and ubiquitous knowledge.

Health, Rights.

At an International MeTA Secretariat meeting in London in 2008, Kyrgyzstan MeTA's Co-Director, Mariam Djankorozova, pointed out that the country had been a leader on a number of pharmaceutical issues. But she also cited figures that showed the size of the problems ahead. Rural areas – home to three-quarters of the country's population – have only one pharmacy for every 4,500 people (the proportion in towns and cities is 1:1,500). Many counterfeit medicines come into the country (and 80% of medicines entering through official channels are withdrawn because of poor quality). The government is unable to stem the flow, partly because the mountainous terrain makes controls difficult, and partly because of lack of facilities to differentiate counterfeit from genuine. The drug information system is under-developed: there is an absence of information on price and quality. In addition, said Ms. Djankorozova, many doctors and pharmacists prescribe or recommend highly promoted medicines rather than cheaper products and there are no controls on promotion. It is hoped that MeTA will provide a mechanism for giving information to counterbalance heavy promotion of particular brands.