The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated approximately $250,000 worth of medical commodities to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (MoHCW) in Zimbabwe.
The consignment includes the 2011 Essential Medicines List of Zimbabwe (EDLIZ) and an assortment of medical supplies and other goods for healthcare support.
The commodities, valued at approximately $250,000, were handed over to the Secretary for Health and Child Welfare, Dr Gerald Gwinji by Dr Custodia Mandlhate, WHO Country Representative in Zimbabwe.
Handing over the consignment, Dr Mandlhate said: “Let me commend the MoHCW for having embraced the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since the early 1980s. Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in the developing world and Africa that has an essential list of medicines guiding prescribing patterns nationally.”
The essential medicines list is the standard treatment guideline for the most commom health conditions in Zimbabwe, which has been endorsed by the National Medicine and Therapeutics Policy Advisory Committee (NMTPAC). WHO handed over copies of the 6th edition of the essential medicines list together with 300 copies of the second edition of the Zimbabwe National Medicines policy.
Other items included equipment for maternal health emergency obstetric care, neo-natal care equipment and accessories for infants, bio-safety cabinets, data collection and vaccines management tools. An Africom internet connection was provided for five EPI staff and printers for the Department of Pharmacy were also given.
“We continue to revise the standard treatment guidelines and take into account medicine developments and new healthcare problems. Thus this latest edition has included more essential medicines,” Dr Gwinji said.
