ESSENTIAL MEDICATION ACCESS THAILAND VERSES THE UNITED STATES

Course overview

Course Description According to the World Health Care Organization (2012) essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population. WHO (2012) further illustrates that 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 ensure quality, and at a price the individual and the community can afford (World Health Organization, 2012). With the measures to improve essential medicines access for the neediest populations of Thailand, Thailand?s government have turned to compulsory licensing, a statutory mechanism to enable third parties to manufacture a product or process still under patent (Kuek, Phillips, & Kohler 2009). The Purpose of this course is for the audience to understand the importance of essential medication locally in the United States, and abroad in Thailand. Objectives: 1.Understand what essential medication are. 2.List the importance of why it is important for Thailand to manufacture essential medications locally. 3.Describe the role of Thailand?s Ministry of Public Health and the National Health Security Office in providing access to Essential Medicines. 4.Differentiate between Thailand?s accesses to Essential Medication in Comparison to the United States. 5.List the role of private sectors in providing access to essential medicines of Thailand. 6.Describe how partnerships and collaborations are important to improve access to essential medicines of Thailand Essential Manufactured Medicines of Thailand Pidgen (1996) illustrates that Thailand efforts to cope with the problems of increasing demand for medicines and to help reduce the costs of imported finished pharmaceutical products, is to promote the local manufacture and use of quality generic drugs. Thailand has made every effort to manufacture essential medication locally. Because the import of essential medication contribute to an economic burden on the government of Thailand, compulsory licensing to produce the patented products of the important essential medication became necessary. To be more specific the essential medication of Thailand includes HIV medication, Cardiac medication, Gastro-intestinal medication, vasodilators antihypertensive drugs, respiratory, and corticosteroids. These essential medications are also essential in the United States.