Improving Access to Essential Medicines for Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa. Workshop Summary. Held in Addis Abaha, Ethiopia on January 13-14, 2014

摘要

Recognizing the importance of quality of care for MNS disorders and the limitations of most sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries in treating such conditions, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders and the Forum on Health and Nutrition of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences convened a joint workshop in 2009 in Kampala, Uganda, to address these issues (IOM, 2009a). The purpose of this meeting was to assess the current state of quality of care for MNS disorders and to elucidate, identify, and prioritize areas that might benefit from improvements that could build on the preexisting or easily obtainable infrastructure. Among the opportunities discussed to decrease the treatment gap and improve the quality of care were: increasing the number of health care providers with expertise in MNS disorders; and improving access to medicines to treat MNS disorders.