Bamako Initiative
Encyclopedia
The Bamako Initiative was a formal statement adopted by African health ministers in 1987 in Bamako
, Mali
, to implement strategies designed to increase the availability of essential drugs and other healthcare services for Sub-Saharan Africa
ns.
A Health Policy and Planning article by Hardon (1990; 5: 186-189) describes the initiative as follows:
"The Bamako Initiative is a joint World Health Organization/ United National Children's Fund (WHO/UNICEF) Initiative aimed at solving the problems in the financing of primary health care in sub-Saharan Africa. It was launched in September 1987 at a regional WHO meeting, where Mr Grant, director of UNICEF, dealt with the severe economic crises facing sub-Saharan Africa, the negative effects of adjustment programmes on health, and the reluctance of donors to continue to fund recurrent costs of primary health care programmes. He outlined his vision of how primary health care could be revitalized by generating funds in communities through the sales of drugs at a price considerably higher than cost.
"Following this speech, the African ministers of health present at the meeting adopted a resolution in which they called for the acceleration of primary health care by:
Positive experience with revolving drug funds was cited as a reason for the implementation of community financing mechanisms that rely on revenue out of the sales of drugs."
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, to implement strategies designed to increase the availability of essential drugs and other healthcare services for Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
ns.
A Health Policy and Planning article by Hardon (1990; 5: 186-189) describes the initiative as follows:
"The Bamako Initiative is a joint World Health Organization/ United National Children's Fund (WHO/UNICEF) Initiative aimed at solving the problems in the financing of primary health care in sub-Saharan Africa. It was launched in September 1987 at a regional WHO meeting, where Mr Grant, director of UNICEF, dealt with the severe economic crises facing sub-Saharan Africa, the negative effects of adjustment programmes on health, and the reluctance of donors to continue to fund recurrent costs of primary health care programmes. He outlined his vision of how primary health care could be revitalized by generating funds in communities through the sales of drugs at a price considerably higher than cost.
"Following this speech, the African ministers of health present at the meeting adopted a resolution in which they called for the acceleration of primary health care by:
- defining and implementing self-financing mechanisms at district level
- encouraging social mobilization and
- ensuring a regular supply of drugs.
Positive experience with revolving drug funds was cited as a reason for the implementation of community financing mechanisms that rely on revenue out of the sales of drugs."
Measures
The Bamako Initiative proposed decentralising health decision making to local levels and establishing realistic national drug policies to enhance the provision of essential drugs for Sub-Saharan Africans.External links
- UNICEF - The Bamako Initiative
- Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes
- Providing essential drugs — The Bamako Initiative