The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has flagged off the dissemination of the 2nd Edition of the Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) and the 6th Edition of the Nigerian Essential Medicines List (NEML).
The Minister performed this function during a one-day Sensitization and Dissemination workshop organized by the National Drug Formulary/Essential Drug Review Committee for the Top Management of the Federal Ministry of Health, at the Ministry’s headquarters, Abuja recently.
Dr. Ehanire informed that the two documents were developed in accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) statement that all member states should periodically review their Essential Medicines List to align with global best practices. He stated that the Ministry has published six editions NEML since 1989, when the first edition was released as gazette.
The Minister disclosed that NEML contains the medications considered to be most effective and safe, available, affordable and accessible to meet the most important needs in the health system for majority of the population, the Essential Medicines List (EML) remains a dynamic, variable list, he said.
Dr. Ehanire therefore commended the efforts of the Committee headed by its Chairman, Prof. John Ohaju Obodo, other experts and development partners who supported the processes leading to the review and publication of the documents. The Honourable Minister, at this point flagged of the Dissemination of the two documents to the public.
Speaking, the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. John Ohaju Obodo, informed that after the revision of the sixth edition was completed, there arose some issues about the need to include some medications into the NEML considering some emerging health challenges in the country, the committee critically reviewed and recommended and approved them as addendum into the sixth edition of NEML.
Prof. Obodo disclosed that the committee had held sensitization workshops in all the six geo-political zones and FCT on the dissemination of the two documents.
He further said that the committee hopes that practitioners and relevant stakeholders would take advantage of the information provided in the addendum to the sixth edition of the Essential Medicines List while also taking into cognizance the various Standard Treatment Guidelines that are in place to further improve on the outcome of health care delivery in Nigeria.
Enefaa Bob-Manuel
Head (Media & Public Relations)
