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margin-left: 0;">The WHO essential medicines and health products programme works to increase access to essential, high-quality, safe, effective and affordable medical products</div> <p><img src="/images/stories/emp/essential-medicines.jpg" width="304" height="294" alt="Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of a population." title="Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of a population." class="image-right" />Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of a population. They are selected using criteria of efficacy, safety, cost of a course of therapy, compliance, multiple usage and storage, ease of administration and local availability. Medicines and health products often make up the largest portion of countries’ (and households’) health spending and their impact on health financing places them in a central position in all discussions, strategies and plans for universal health coverage. Access to quality-assured and affordable medicines is an essential component of universal health coverage.</p> <p>Currently, the majority of people in low- and middle-income countries pay for medicines out-of-pocket, often leading to financial hardship. With the rise in non-communicable diseases – many of which are chronic conditions that require long-term treatment – the financial burden will become even greater, as will the need to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.</p> <p><a href="/health-topics/essential-medicines/about-essential-medicines.html">Read more</a></p> <div class="section group"> <div class="col span_4_of_12 stat coleqht"> <h3>News</h3> <p><img src="/images/stories/emp/emp_news.jpg" width="225" height="145" alt="Essential medicines related news" title="Essential medicines related news" /></p> <p><a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/substandard-falsified-products/en/" target="_blank">1 in 10 medical products in developing countries is substandard or falsified</a><br />28 November 2017</p> <p><a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/running-out-antibiotics/en/" target="_blank">The world is running out of antibiotics, WHO report confirms</a><br />20 September 2017</p> </div> <div class="col span_4_of_12 stat coleqht"> <h3>Information resources</h3> <p><img src="/images/stories/emp/emp_information_resources.jpg" width="225" height="145" alt="Essential medicines information resources" title="Essential medicines information resources" /></p> <p><a href="http://applications.emro.who.int/docs/IC_Meet_Rep_2016_EN_19253.pdf" target="_blank">Summary report on the Intercountry meeting on Good Governance for Medicines for Phase II countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 25–27 October 2016</a></p> <p><a href="http://applications.emro.who.int/docs/IC_Meet_Rep_2016_EN_18963.pdf" target="_blank">Summary report on the Intercountry meeting on controlled medicines Cairo, Egypt, 17–19 May 2016</a></p> <p><a href="http://applications.emro.who.int/docs/IC_Meet_Rep_2015_EN_16572.pdf" target="_blank">Summary report on the Regional meeting on strengthening pharmacovigilance systems, Rabat, Morocco, 7–10 September 2015</a></p> </div> <div class="col span_4_of_12 stat coleqht"> <h3>WHO assessment instument</h3> <p><img src="/images/stories/emp/emp_who_assessment.png" width="225" height="145" alt="WHO assessment instrument" title="WHO assessment instrument" /></p> <p><a href="http://applications.emro.who.int/docs/EMROPUB_2017_EN_19632.pdf" target="_blank">Measuring transparency to improve good governance in the public pharmaceutical sector in Pakistan</a></p> <p><a href="http://applications.emro.who.int/dsaf/dsa968.pdf" target="_blank">Measuring transparency to improve good governance in the public pharmaceutical sector in Jordan</a></p> <p><a href="http://applications.emro.who.int/dsaf/dsa968.pdf" target="_blank">Measuring transparency to improve good governance in the public pharmaceutical sector in Lebanon</a></p> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> <div class="article_row cols2 clearfix" id="health-topics-articles"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="socialbar" class="sticky" style="height: 54px;"><a class="sharebtn">Share</a> <ul class="nobulls" style="display: none;"> <li><a class="ir facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=&t=" title="Share on Facebook" target="_blank" onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Social media', 'Sharing', 'Facebook',,true]); 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