EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION

Oman National Drug Policy: consensus building meeting

A WHO team consisting of staff from HQ and EMRO visited Oman from 19 to 26 May 2000, to facilitate consensus building meetings to launch the Oman National Drug Policy (ONDP).The team participated in 4 advocacy workshops organized in Muscat, Sohar, Ibra and Nizwa. The workshops were attended by a total of approximately 400 medical doctors, pharmacists, assistant pharmacists and nurses, working at hospital and primary health care level. All workshops were inaugurated by senior Government officials; reflecting the national commitment to the strengthening of the health services in general and the pharmaceutical sector in particular.

Brief presentations were given in plenary to introduce the ONDP, to clarify the underlying concepts, to introduce the new Directorate for Rational Drug Use, and to stress the importance of monitoring and evaluation. The various components of the ONDP were discussed in detail in working groups, after which, the outcome of the discussions was presented and debated in plenary.

The overall objective of the ONDP is to develop, within the resources of a country, the potential that drugs have to control common diseases and alleviate suffering. The Policy aims to ensure and express government commitment to this objective and to serve as a guide for action by all involved: government, academia, professional organizations, nongovernmental organizations, industries, patients and consumers.

The team also had a debriefing session with His Excellency the Minister of Health of Oman where observations and recommendations were presented.