Abstract
More than 80% of premature deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) occur in low- and middle-income countries. However, access to, and affordability of medications remain a challenge in these countries. To assess the availability, cost and affordability of essential cardiovascular medicines in the South West region of Cameroon. In an audit of 63 medicine outlets, twenty-six essential medicines were surveyed using the World Health Organisation (WHO) /Health Action International methodology. Availability, costs and the ratio of the median price to the international reference price were evaluated in public, confessional, private facility medicine outlets, and community pharmacies. Affordability was assessed by calculating the number of days' wages it will cost the lowest-paid unskilled government worker to purchase a month worth of chronic treatment. Availability ranged from 25.3% (public facility outlets) to 49.2% (community pharmacies) for all medicines. This was higher in urban and semi-urban compared to rural outlets. Cost of medicines was highest in community pharmacies and lowest in public facility outlets. Aspirin, digoxin, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide and nifedipine were affordable (cost a day's wage or less). Medicin...Continue Reading
References
Jan 18, 2005·International Journal for Equity in Health·Abdesslam Boutayeb, Saber Boutayeb
Jan 18, 2008·International Journal of Clinical Practice·N MuszbekZ M Khan
Jun 11, 2010·BMC Cardiovascular Disorders·Maaike S M van MourikRichard O Laing
Apr 30, 2011·International Journal of Epidemiology·Shona DalalMichelle D Holmes
Aug 30, 2011·Lancet·Salim YusufUNKNOWN Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study Investigators
Nov 25, 2011·Globalization and Health·Justin B Echouffo-Tcheugui, Andre P Kengne
Apr 10, 2012·Public Health·D SteflerC M Fischbacher
Jan 4, 2013·Journal of the American College of Cardiology·Lawrence J LaslettMenolly Hart
Sep 14, 2013·International Health·Michael Hanlon, Raymond Zhang
Nov 19, 2013·Inflammatory Bowel Diseases·Lani PrideauxMichael A Kamm
Nov 26, 2013·Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases·Andre Pascal KengneJean-Claude Mbanya
Jan 16, 2014·Current Atherosclerosis Reports·Stefan M NidorfPeter L Thompson
Apr 5, 2014·Bulletin of the World Health Organization·T Alafia SamuelsJenilee Guebert
May 23, 2014·Global Health Action·Jocalyn Clark
Aug 12, 2014·BMC Public Health·Panthihage Ruvini L DabareBvs Hemantha Beneragama
Nov 5, 2014·PloS One·Ahmadou M JingiAndré Pascal Kengne
Dec 17, 2014·Globalization and Health·Sheikh Mohammed Shariful IslamGünter Fröschl
Mar 11, 2015·Global Heart·Melissa S Burroughs Pena, Gerald S Bloomfield
May 8, 2015·Globalization and Health·Jane RobertsonDavid Beran
May 13, 2015·Cardiovascular Journal of Africa·George A MensahUNKNOWN GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators
Jul 10, 2018·BioMed Research International·Fangfang ZhengHuanhuan Wu
Aug 10, 2019·PloS One·Jordan D JarvisNav Persaud
Citations
Dec 12, 2020·Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy·Nasheeta PeerAndre-Pascal Kengne
Feb 16, 2021·British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·Johannes P MoutonKaren Cohen
Jul 23, 2021·PloS One·Anastase DzudieKathryn Anastos
Aug 28, 2021·European Journal of Preventive Cardiology·Susil PallikadavathRupert W Major
Sep 17, 2021·Nature Reviews. Neurology·Rufus O AkinyemiMayowa O Owolabi