Uwc 360 issue 5 revised web version

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UWC 360 Issue 5-Final 7/2/13 10:54 AM Page 1 C

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ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 5/JUNE 2013

Contact the Alumni Relations Office: Amanda Philander-Hietala, Contact the Alumni Alumni Relations Relations Manager Office: Tel: +27 21 959 2143 | Fax: 021 959 9791 | Email: alumni@uwc.ac.za | www.uwc.ac.za/alumni http://twitter.com/UWCAlumni http://twitter.com/UWConline | http://www.facebook.com/uwcalumni

LEAD from where

YOU ARE

Pharmacy takes the Lead This issue focuses on dealing with leadership challenges within the Pharmacy sector. The latest instalment of the ‘Lead From Where You Are’ leadership dialogue series, presented by UWC’s Alumni Association, focused on how pharmacists could improve the value of health care by adapting to the changes occurring within modern medicine.

UWC project improves access to medicines UWC's School of Pharmacy and the School of Public Health are collaborating with seven institutions from Africa, Europe and South Asia in a research project focused on improving access to affordable, effective and safe medicines. Accessing Medicines in Africa and South Asia (AMASA), is a European Union-funded project that includes three study countries - South Africa, India and Uganda. It commenced in May 2010 and ends in Dr Kim Ward, AMASA project October 2013. According to Dr Kim coordinator and researcher Ward, AMASA project coordinator and researcher, due to the growing burden of infectious diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases, continuous access to essential

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medicine has become a key priority for governments, nongovernmental organisations, activist organisations and citizens across the world. “To identify and interrogate the underlying causes of upstream and downstream bottlenecks in the pharmaceutical systems of the three countries, we conducted fieldwork at national and sub-national levels.” Key informant interviews with regulators, Department of Health officials, medicine producers, supply chain managers, middleand lower-level health managers, prescribers, dispensers and community health workers were triangulated, where possible, with patient surveys and facility observations. Ward says the key findings for South Africa will form the basis of country-specific and cross-country publications to be submitted to journals within the next few months. The first three papers focus on issues that should be addressed to ensure that the National Health Insurance (NHI) and the proposed new health products regulatory authority promote equitable access to medicine. Apart from publications, the dissemination of research findings this year will take the form of conference presentations, workshops with key stakeholders, newsletters and the drafting of policy briefs. “On behalf of the AMASA team from UWC, led by Prof David Sanders, I would like to thank the research participants, some of whom are School of Pharmacy alumni, for the time availed to be interviewed for this research,” Ward says. For more information on dissemination activities, please contact Dr Kim Ward at kward@uwc.ac.za or telephone 021 959 3440. URL: www.amasa-project.eu


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