Monrovia 17th March, 2017 - The Ministry of Health of Liberia, with support from the World Health Organization has endorsed the new version (2nd Edition) of the National Standard Therapeutic Guidelines and Essential Medicines List for the country. The process of revising and updating the guidelines began towards the end of the Ebola outbreak when it was recognized that the 1st edition did not adequately address health issues facing the country, was not in harmony with international standards; and also needed to be in line with the country’s Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health system.

The new guidelines have taken into account the country’s current disease burden and priorities, and will provide a standardized approach to the management of diseases in the country thus promoting rationale medicine use, and improving health. Furthermore the guidelines will foster procurement of medicines that are Safe, Effective, of good Quality, Accessible and Affordable for the country and individuals. This will also reduce wastage of resources through procurement of non-essential items, and will help eliminate the counterfeit medicines which is a great public health risk.

The guidelines will promote health research and a greater understanding of the health burdens and needs of the country, and consequently the development of solutions to these problems. This should stimulate opportunities for investment in the country especially local manufacturing of medicines that are essential for the most common diseases affecting the populace. These guidelines are designed to support every public health care and policy implementation program in Liberia, with the view of ensuring compliance to the set standards of health care.

During the three days’ workshop to validate and endorse the document, which commenced on 14th March, 2017, the Chief Pharmacist at the Ministry of Health, Reverend Tijli Tyee, on behalf of Dr Bernice Dahn, Minister of Health, applauded the efforts, diligence, and commitment exhibited by all stakeholders in the development of this important technical document. He emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to the provision of essential drugs and supplies that are safe, accessible and affordable by all.

Dr Peter Clement, WHO EPR/DPC Officer, speaking on behalf of the WHO Representative, commended the Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders for strengthening this essential component of the health care delivery system. He recommended to the Ministry and other regulatory bodies to ensure compliance and use of the guidelines by all.

Some of the partners who supported the review of the guidelines include Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-France, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), USAID Collaborative Support for Health Program, USAID-John Snow International, and Last Mile Health. The next steps for Liberia is country-wide training of health care providers and dissemination of these guidelines to be used to enhance delivery of quality health care in the country.

____________________________________________________

For more information contact :

Technical: Dr Peter Clement +231886522998  clementp [at] who.int (clementp[at]who[dot]int)

 Samuel Gavi, samuelgavi [at] yahoo.com (samuelgavi[at]yahoo[dot]com)

Communication: Luwaga Liliane +231880034450, %20luwagal [at] who.int ( luwagal[at]who[dot]int)