Health policy

Health policy can be defined as the "decisions,

plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve
specific healthcare goals within a society.

According to the World Health Organization, an

explicit health policy can achieve several things: it
defines a vision for the future; it outlines priorities
and the expected roles of different groups; and it
builds consensus and informs people.
There are many categories of health
policies, including global health policy,
public health policy, mental health policy,
health care services policy, insurance policy,
personal healthcare policy, 
pharmaceutical policy, and policies related
to public healthsuch as vaccination policy, 
tobacco control policy or 
breastfeeding promotion policy.
They may cover topics of
financing and delivery of
healthcare, access to care,
quality of care, and 
health equity.
Global/National health policy

Global health policy encompasses the

global governance structures that create
the policies underlying public health
throughout the world. In addressing 
global health, global health policy
"implies consideration of the health
needs of the people of the whole planet
above the concerns of particular nations.
." Distinguished from both
international health policy (agreements
among sovereign states) and
comparative health policy (analysis of
health policy across states), global
health policy institutions consist of the
actors and norms that frame the global
health response.
National Health Policies, Strategies and
Plans
that can
respond to the growing calls for
strengthening of health systems and the
renewal of Primary Health Care:
universal coverage, people-centred
care, emphasis on public health and
health in all policies.
serve to guide and steer the entire, pluralist
health sector rather than being command-
and-control plans for the public sector.
go beyond the boundaries of health
systems, addressing the social determinants
of health and the interaction between the
health sector and other sectors in society.
WHO has a long track record of
supporting Member States in to develop
National Health Policies, Strategies and
Plans through country-level technical
cooperation, facilitation of national policy
dialogue and inter-country exchange, as
well as through normative work and high
level international policy frameworks.
CONCEPT OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINES
Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority
health care needs of the population (report to WHO
executive board, jan 2002)
Essential medicines satisfy the needs of the majority of
the population and therefore should be available at all
times, in adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage
forms and at a price the individual and community can
afford.
The original 1977 WHO definition of essential
medicine was that they were of utmost important,
basic, indispensable, and necessary for the healthcare
needs of the population.
Selection criteria
Essential medicines are selected with due regard to disease prevalence,
evidence on efficacy and safety and comparative cost effectiveness.
Purpose of Essential Medicine:
Essential medicines are intended to be available within the context of
functioning health systems at all times, in adequate amounts, in the
appropriate dosage forms, with assured quality and at a price that
individual or community can afford.

Implementation:
The implementation of the concept of essential medicine is intended to
be flexible and adaptable to many different situations, exactly which
medicines are regarded as essential remains a national responsibility.
Advantages of essential drug list
1. Higher quality of care
2. Better management of medicines including quality
prescribed medicines.
3. Effective use of health resources
4. We can prevent the irrational use of medicines
5. It helps safe the life of patients by ensuring the quality,
safety and effectiveness.
6. Essential drugs increase the credibility of a health system
and promote patient participation.
7. Choice of drugs from EDL increases the cost effectiveness
of pharmaceutical expenditure.
Development of National Essential drug list
(NEDL)
1. PREPARATION OF NEDL:
The federal government and each provincial government until 1993
had their on lists of drugs to purchases for the essential drugs of
government institutions and thus there was lack of uniformity in these
lists.
But the graded system of these lists for various health institutions was
not distinctly defined, therefore an urgent need to prepare a national
list of Essential Drugs of Pakistan with graded lists for various levels
to be implemented uniformly both at the federal and provincial level.
National Essential Drug list of Pakistan was thus prepared in 1994 in
view of the health need of the country with the help of specialists
organizations in the field of medicines and pharmacy from all over the
country.
THANK YOU