Stop the Stock-outs campaign launched

Posted on 31 March 2009

The Stop the Stock-outs campaign is calling on governments and health departments to end stock-outs now by:

• Giving financial and operational autonomy to the national medicines procurement and supply agency
• Allowing representation of civil society on the board of the national medicines procurement and supply agency
• Ending corruption in the medicine supply chain to stop theft and diversion of essential medicines.
• Providing a dedicated budget line for essential medicines
• Living up to commitments to spend 15 per cent of national budgets on health care.
• Providing free essential medicines at all public health institutions.

The campaign is a call to action for African governments to meet their obligations to provide essential medicines to our people by increasing the national budgetary allocation for the purchase of these medicines and by ensuring efficiency and transparency in the procurement, supply, and distribution of medicines.

The campaign will run in five African countries: Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Uganda, and Zambia. For information on how to support or participate in “Stop Stock-outs” activities in any of the five campaign countries please contact the campaign organisers.

Campaign Partners

Kenya:

KETAM (Kenya Access Treatment Movement)

KEPHCA (Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association)

EPN (Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network)

CIN-Kenya (Consumer Information Network – Kenya)

Malawi

MHEN (Malawi Health Equity Network)

Madagascar

SISAL (Sambatra Izay Salama)

Uganda

HEPS ( Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development)

NAFOPHANU (National Forum of PLHA Networks in Uganda)

AGHA (Action Group for Health Human Rights and HIV/AIDS)

Zambia

TALC (Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign)

NZP+ (Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS)

Regional/International

OXFAM

HAI Africa (Health Action International Africa)

OSI (Open Society Institute)

For more information, see the Stop the Stock-outs website.