Different perspectives on access to medicines in

HICs and LICs

Ariana, Aumeya, Ayan & Aminath

What is Accessibility?
Domains of Accessibility of Medications

● 5 realms of Accessibility
○ Geographic
○ Safe & Effective Meds
○ Affordability
○ Ability to use
○ Acceptability of available
drugs

● Access to Medicine
Foundation, Access to
Medicine Index
63% of Essential R&D
is only carried out by 5
companies
Policy Influence on Access to Medication

■ 75% world’s population live in LMIC

■ Essential drug list
■ understanding, planning, monitoring and evaluating
access to medicines
■ Bayer CEO...
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq3S98_m5Fk (2:10)
Access to Medicines: The UK
Country Profile:
- GDP per capita in 2017- 39,720.44
USD (world bank)
- Parliamentary democracy, under
constitutional monarch.
- NHS 1948- free at point of use
for residents and funded through
general taxation.
- Private health care has
continued parallel to the NHS,
paid for largely by private
insurance.
-Availability: largely accessible even in rural areas
due to transportation. However, more difficult
particularly for elderly.
- NHS patients are not able to access latest treatment
as fast as other HICs. For example, for every 100
patients in France,18 access medicine in first year of
launch.
● R&D needs to be incentivised
-Affordability: Cost- £17.4 billion/ 1.4% of health
care expenditure
-Rational use:Information is available to patients via
leaflets, NHS website and from health professionals.
In many cases however, they are over prescribed/
incorrect use.
Access to Medicines: Ecuador
-GDP per capita in 2017- 6,198.95 USD

-Multi- party democracy. Elections every 4

years. Divided into executive: president.
Legislative: congress and judicial- court.

-Comprehensive national health system. Free

healthcare despite individual’s income/ no -Geographical barrier to access medicines in rural areas
medical insurance such as Chone which has no public transport.

-Rational use-Prescribed drugs available over the

counter so many misuse it.

-Poor availability of drugs such as Fludrocortisone due

to lack of awareness of health authorities and financial
loss to pharmaceutical industry.

-Expensive- regulation of prices/ encourage use of

generics
References

Apps.who.int. (2019). The World Medicines Situation: Chapter 7. Access to essential medicines. [online] Available at:
http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js6160e/9.html [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].

Who.int. (2019). WHO | Accessibility. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/gender-equity-rights/understanding/accessibility-definition/en/

[Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].

Wrold Bank (2019) Available Online: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ny.gdp.pcap.cd [Accessed: 27 Feb 2019]

Access to Medicine Foundation. (2019). Access to Medicine Index - A research programme by the Access to Medicine Foundation. [online] Available
at: https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org/access-to-medicine-index [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].