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Poor availability of essential medicines for women and children threatens progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3 in Africa
- Source :
- BMJ Global Health
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- BMJ, 2019.
-
Abstract
- BackgroundMost maternal and child deaths are preventable or treatable with proven, cost-effective interventions for infectious diseases and maternal and neonatal complications. In 2015 sub-Saharan Africa accounted for up to 66% of global maternal deaths and half of the under-five deaths. Access to essential medicines and commodities and trained healthcare workers to provide life-saving maternal, newborn and post-natal care are central to further reductions in maternal and child mortality.MethodsAvailable data for 24 priority medicines for women and children were extracted from WHO service availability and readiness assessments conducted between 2012 and 2015 for eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The mean availability of medicines in facilities stating they provide services for women or children and differences by facility type, ownership and location are reported.ResultsThe mean availability of 12 priority essential medicines for women ranged from 22% to 40% (median 33%; IQR 12%) and 12 priority medicines for children ranged from 28% to 57% (median 50%; IQR 14%). Few facilities (ConclusionsThe survey results show unacceptably low availability of priority medicines for women and children in the eight countries. Governments should ensure the availability of medicines for mothers and children if they are to achieve the health sustainable development goals.
- Subjects :
- availability
030231 tropical medicine
Psychological intervention
Survey result
essential medicines
Essential medicines
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
children
Environmental health
Health care
Medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
Sustainable development
Service (business)
business.industry
Research
Health Policy
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Facility type
priority medicines
Child mortality
sub-saharan africa
women
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20597908
- Volume :
- 4
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- BMJ Global Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....035999396406f2f5f394fe4e58437405