Essential Medicines and other health products such as Medical Devices including invitro diagnostics and assistive technologies help to save lives and improve health and livelihoods by closing the huge gap between the potential that health products have to offer and the reality that for millions of people- particularly the poor and disadvantaged- these products are often unavailable, unaffordable, unsafe or improperly used.
Essential medicines including other health products are integral components of health systems and play significant role in the delivery of health care services. In the context of strengthening health systems, the Program supports implementation of national policies strategies and plans with the overall aim of improving access to affordable, quality, and safe essential medicines and other health products.
Access to medicines and other health products is at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health coverage. Access to health products can only be achieved when there is good governance, effective legislation, regulation, accountability, monitoring, and policy adjustment.