[india-drug] Welcome message from Dr. Hogerzeil

[Hogerzeil<hogerzeilh@who.int>]

Welcome message from Dr. Hogerzeil
----------------------------------------------------


Dear India-drug participants,

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the India-drug
electronic network. For those of you who do not know the global e-drug
network, some explanation may be helpful.

The WHO-India Essential Drugs Programme is operational since 1997.
Started in Delhi State the programme now covers more than ten states,
and the numbers are increasing. Programme activities focus on rational
selection of drugs, standard treatment guidelines, pooled procurement
of essential drugs for public hospitals and rural facilities, and
interventions to promote rational prescribing. The programme is
executed by the Delhi Society for the Promotion of the Rational Use of
Drugs with funding from the World Health Organisation (and recently the
World Bank).

The activities of the programme are spreading widely and the number of
involved national experts increasing rapidly. A electronic network is
the obvious solution to facilitate contacts between the groups working
in the various states. The main purpose of the network is therefore
sharing of information, and discussion between network members.

With regard to information, this network will help you to know what is
going on with essential drugs in India. First and foremost, India-drug
will inform you of ongoing and planned activities by the Delhi Society,
the WHO India Essential Drugs Programme, and activities in the various
states. It will tell you about training opportunities and new
publications. It will also draw your attention to new publications by
WHO and others, and to new additions to various web sites, such as the
DSPRUD and WHO/Medicines web sites. For example, most new WHO
publications on essential drugs are available and can be downloaded
free of charge from <http://www.who.int/medicines>. 

The network will also allow you, as a participant, to post messages and
questions to the other participants. For example, you could announce
training courses in your state, report on recent research outcomes, or
ask for comments on certain problems you have encountered in promoting 
Rational prescribing in your institution. 

I wish you all a lot of fun in participating in the network, and I am 
sure that it will help you to feel fully involved in this national
effort. Gone are the times that only Delhi-wallah's know what's going
on! 

Hans V. Hogerzeil, MD, PhD, FRCP Edin
Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy
World Health Organisation
1211 Geneva, Switzerland 


Hans V. Hogerzeil, MD, PhD, FRCP Edin
Coordinator for policy, access and rational use
Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy
World Health Organisation, 1211 Geneva
Tel +41-22-7913528
Fax +41-22-7914167
<hogerzeilh@who.int>





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