[e-drug] African Association of Essential Drugs: "DAKAR DECLARATION"

["Gerard Millot" <gerard.millot@laposte.net>]

E-DRUG: African Association of Essential Drugs: "DAKAR DECLARATION"
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African Association of Essential Drugs Trading Groups: "DAKAR DECLARATION"

Dear E-Drug friends,

Recent programs fighting against the main diseases have involved important
funds for the supply of drugs against AIDS, malaria based on Combined
Artemesine (ACT) and tuberculosis. These programs have increased the number
of evaluations of national purchasing centers.

These evaluations have in most cases led to a shift of drug supply from the
national purchaising centers to UN agencies and international associations.

As a response to the actual situation, general managers members of the ACAME
have decided to launch a declaration called the "Dakar Declaration" to
involve their respective authorities, partners and funding agencies (see
appendices).

Gérard MILLOT
Technical Adviser
ACAME
gerard.millot@laposte.net

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African Association of Essential Drugs Trading Groups
01 BP 4877 Ouagadougou Burkina Faso Phone: 226 50 37 37 50 - Fax: 226 50 37
37 57 Cameg@cameg.bf

DAKAR DECLARATION

Preamble:

The General Managers of the Essential Drugs Trading Groups, members of the
ACAME (African Association of Essential Drugs Trading Groups), meeting this
day in Dakar, would like to remind the mission entrusted to them by the
authorities of their respective countries:

This mission consists in supplying, to bodies authorized by their
supervising Ministries, quality generic essential drugs as well as medical
and surgical consumables registered on the National Lists of their
respective countries, at affordable price for the populations.

This mission includes assessing needs, undertaking contracts, control,
storage and supply, in compliance with the countries pharmaceutical policy
requirements.

ACAME's General Managers meeting in Dakar, however, is concerned by the
exclusion of most Trading Groups from drug supply to programmes related to
the three priority diseases: antiretroviral drugs (ARV), new combined
artemisia-based antimalarial drugs (ACT), and tuberculosis drugs.

Therefore, they solemnly call upon their respective supervising authorities,
health development partners and donors as follows:

National supply systems sustainability:

Article 1:

ACAME recommends that the implementation of any essential drugs supply
programme in Africa, including programmes related to the provision of drugs
used for the treatment of the priority diseases mentioned in the preamble,
be part of the concerted approach leading to the strengthening and
sustainability of national supply systems.

Provisional nature of the substitution of Trading Groups by United Nations
Agencies or by Western Non Governmental Organizations:

Article 2:

The decision to substitute Trading Groups by United Nations Agencies or
Western Non Governmental Organizations, regarding priority programmes'
essential drugs management and/or supply, is considered to be contrary to:

      the basic principles relating to national capacity building of
developing countries
      the rationalization of existing supply systems
      the pharmaceutical requirements

Article 3:

This decision shall be only provisional and shall be replaced as soon as
possible by a strategy for use and national Trading Group capacity building.


Trading Groups Assessment

Article 4:

ACAME recommends that Trading Group assessment be made within a concerted
framework, which further comprehensively mainstreams drug and environment
context within which the Trading Groups evolve, and be documented in a
detailed report, providing accompanying measures in case possible failures
have been recorded.


Developing a strategic plan for standardization and Trading Groups
development

Article 5:

In the light of the outcomes of the Trading Group assessments made by health
development partners, ACAME has decided to develop a strategic plan for
Trading Groups standardization and development.

Article 6:

This strategic plan shall define the assets and weaknesses of Trading Groups
as well as the tailored measures to be implemented for each of them,
including measures related either to the institutional and legal aspects,
operational and quibbling aspects or aspects related to human or financial
resources.


ACAME and Health Development Partners Conference

Article 7:

ACAME calls upon Authorities, Partners and Donors to politically and
financially support this strategy.

Article 8:

ACAME plans to organise by the end of the semester of the year 2007 in
Ouagadougou a Conference with all Health Development Partners and Donors to
hold constructive discussions on the following:

      broad lines of its strategic plan,
      best ways to support its implementation,
      involvement of partners within the Trading Groups monitoring
committee.

Done in Dakar on December 8th, 2006

The General Managers of Essential Drugs Trading Groups, members of ACAME:

CAME Benin
CAMEG Burkina Faso
CAMEBU Burundi
CENAME Cameroon
PNAC Comoros
COMEG Congo
PSP Côte d'Ivoire
OPN Gabon
CECOME Guinea Bissau
PCG Guinea Conakry
PPM Mali
CAMEC Mauritania
SALAMA Madagascar
ONPPC Niger
UCM Central African Republic
CAMERWA Rwanda
PNA Senegal
CPA Chad
CAMEG Togo