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Essential medicines and pharmaceutical policies

Promoting access to safe, life-saving, affordable medicines

Our mission is to promote the rational use of medicines by improving access to safe, effective and affordable medicines and other health products of assured quality across the country to ensure universal health coverage while also developing the capacity of the health authorities and workforce to effectively manage the pharmaceutical supply chain system.

Who we are

The Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies Programme of the WHO country office works to strengthen equitable access to safe, effective and high-quality essential medicines, vaccines and other health products at an affordable price as part of the effort to achieve universal health coverage and ensure protection of public health.

The programme works with national and local health authorities at all levels in the pharmaceutical section to support the development of policies, plans and strategies and promote access to essential medicines at all service delivery points.

What we do

In collaboration with health authorities, we work to promote equitable access to safe, effective and high-quality essential medicines, vaccines and other health products primarily through the following actions:

Establish national supply chain management

We help establish and maintain a safe supply chain of essential medicines in the country.

Support the management of essential medicines

We support the management and safe storage of essential medicines and other pharmaceutical products.

Assess quality problems of medicines

We assess problems related to the quality of medicines and tackle problems related to the availability and accessibility of good-quality medicines for delivery of safe health care.

Our impact

Working with the Somali Ministry of Health and partners

  • The Somali National Medicines Policy and other pharmaceutical policies developed to improve access to medicines of good quality and rational use of medicines and health products
  • National supply chain established
  • National medicines regulatory authority established
  • Developed policies and guidelines to support rational use of medicines
  • Empowered policy- makers to develop strategies and guidelines to ensure equitable and affordable access to essential medicines

What we have achieved

  • Supported the establishment of the Medicines’ Regulatory Authority in 2016 and subsequently conducted a rapid benchmarking assessment for the authority.
  • Finalized the report on the benchmarking assessment, including the Institutional Development Plan for the pharmaceutical sector in the country (2017).
  • Provided technical support for the establishment of the pharmacovigilance unit in the Federal Ministry of Health in Somalia, and a system for reporting of adverse drugs reactions (2019).
  • Supported the development of the Somalia National Medicines Policy (2014) and updated the Somali Essential Medicines List (2019).
  • Supported the launch of the standard treatment guidelines for hospitals, health centres and health units, which are easy reference guides on the correct use of medicines based on current evidence-based prescribing practices from WHO.
  • Initiated the development of the national action programme on antimicrobial resistance.
  • Provided technical support for the development of the Somali Medicines Law and Drug Act (2019).
  • Built national pharmaceutical capacity of more than 1000 national staff in different components of the national medicines policies.

What is next

The Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies Programme will continue working with health authorities and national regulatory authorities to strengthen the medicines regulatory authorities and the supply chain system to promote sustainable and equitable access to these supplies, including to vulnerable communities in the society. In addition, the programme will support the following activities:

  • Conduct a pharmaceutical sector assessment survey to collect data on the availability, quality, and rational use of medicines from 65 public and private pharmaceutical facilities in the country.
  • Provide technical support for finalization of the Somalia Medicines Law and Drug Act: to provide legal and regulatory support for the Somali Essential Drug List.
  • Develop an antimicrobial resistance programme to collect data on the threat of antimicrobial resistance and develop a national action plan for combatting antimicrobial resistance.
  • Develop standard treatment guidelines to support the launch of the essential package of health services.
  • Improve the efficiency of the pharmaceutical supply-chain system to ensure sustainable and equitable access to and availability of affordable and good-quality essential medicines.

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