Need the medicines! No access? Take action!

1. Need the medicines!No access? Take action! Eva M A Ombaka Member, Health Action International Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2. Medicines are essential part of life • Cannot leave health/medicines needs (esp. developing countries and the poor) to profit -seeking industry. • Put public health before profit • Say no to a system that is not working!

3. Increasing access to medicines Six C's are needed (Devi Sridhar): • Coalitions, • Civil society, • Citizenship, • Compromise, • Communication and • Collaboration.

4. Increasing access to medicines • First: developing countries must form a coalition that comes together to achieve a very specific objective and does not fragment. • Unequal power between drug companies and many developing countries • E.g. NEPAD; Doha, Regional communities

5. Increasing access to medicines • Second: CSOs committed to health issues must continue to push the issue onto the political agenda. E.g. • CSOs playing a role in research-provide data • Activists can campaign e.g. loud support for the implementation of the TRIPS safeguards • Undertake advocacy work with policy makers and funders • Be part of agenda setting

6. Increasing access to medicines • Third: citizens in developed countries need to pressure their governments to prioritize health concerns through lobbying, protesting and supporting CSOs e.g. • Health Gap • Act Up Paris

7. Increasing access to medicines • Fourth: the various stakeholders must compromise to a certain extent so that progress can be made e.g. • HAI/WHO pricing study • MeTA • IGWIG

8. Increasing access to medicines • Fifth: health activists must communicate to the media, so that the media can frame the issue of access to essential medicines in an appealing manner. • Collect information at grassroots • Document, document, document!! • Publish research findings

9. Increasing access to medicines • Sixth: developing countries, CSOs and citizens in developed and developing countries must collaborate to ensure that the barriers to access to essential medicines are overcome. • Kenya coalition on access to medicines • TAC in South Africa

10. Increasing access to medicines-individual actions Be a resource! • Skills • Profession • Time • Financial • In-kind

11. Increasing access to medicines-individual actions • Use medicines carefully, rationally-it’s a precious resource • Be informed-local situation, international situation • Have a moral compass-not lose your independence individually or in groups • Support alternative sources and life styles

12. Pharmacy? Grocery store? Trained? Expired? Rational? . . .

13. Increasing access to medicines-individual actions • Join others e.g. • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) • Community-Based Organizations (CBO) • Faith-based organizations e.g. YM/W/CA, Ramakrishna Mission etc • Voluntary (patient) health organizations • Networks/Movements e.g. PHM; HAI – in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Latin America, Europe; EPN; ReAct; etc etc

14. Get involved.....Thank you!