Ministry launches essential drug list

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Health launched on Monday a book containing an essential drug list (DOEN) across the country, which is useful especially for health workers and institutions as a guide in choosing the most effective, quality and economical drugs.

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi said that the list was expected to enhance the availability of medicine and to make the drugs more affordable to all citizens in a fair way.

The concept of "essential drugs" was introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1975. Currently, 160 countries have adopted the concept.

Only drugs which meet criteria such as scoring the highest benefit-risk ratio and benefit-cost ratio, storage and transportation practicality, popularity and availability will make the list.

The Ministry of Health evaluates the DOEN every three years. Some drugs listed on the 1998 DOEN were omitted in the 2002 DOEN because the drugs were "old" and difficult to find on the market.

Because of some new developments in medicine, several new drugs were also added to the 2002 DOEN. -- JP