Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2025
An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Published on: March 30, 2014
Exploring access to essential medicines in the South Pacific: insights from a multi-country cross-sectional study
Lachlan Oldfield1, Jonathan Penm1,2, Rebekah Moles1
1School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Background:
Access to essential medicines is imperative for delivering effective healthcare, yet a significant proportion of the global population continues to face barriers in obtaining them. The South Pacific Region (SPR) faces unique medicine access challenges due to geographic remoteness, economic limitations, and, strained healthcare infrastructure. To gain further insight, this study aimed to assess the availability, pricing, and, affordability of essential medicines stratified by World Bank income group.
Methods:
The WHO and Health Action International standardised methodology was employed in the public and private sectors of New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, Vanuatu, and, the Solomon Islands between February 1st 2023 and October 1st 2023. We measured availability, median price ratio (MPR), and affordability. Data were analysed by World Bank income group.
Findings:
Data were collected from 19 public-sector hospitals and 24 private-sector pharmacies. Lower-middle income countries (LMICs) had the lowest mean availability for both public and private sectors, while upper-middle and high-income countries (HICs) demonstrated moderate to high availability. The mean availability of lowest-priced generics (LPG) in LMICs was 59.1% in the public sector and 57.4% in the private sector, compared to 87.2% and 72.5% respectively in HICs. MPRs indicated high medicine prices across all categories. Affordability analysis revealed that medicines were unaffordable in LMICs yet affordable in UMICs and HICs.
Interpretation:
LMICs within the South Pacific display low availability and poor affordability of essential medicines. Urgent targeted policy reform and strategic initiatives are required to ensure effective and equitable healthcare within this region.
Funding:
This research was supported by l'Agence Française de Développement, Le Fonds Pacifique [CZZ3165ORC].
Related Concept Videos
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
01:19Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
01:28Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Pharmaceutical Parameters
01:19Factors Affecting Drug Distribution: Miscellaneous Factors
Age plays a significant role due to differences in body composition among different age groups. Infants, for instance, have a higher proportion of total body water and lower albumin levels, a protein that binds drugs in the bloodstream. This unique composition in infants enhances the...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...