Evaluating essential medicines for treating childhood cancers: availability, price and affordability study in Ghana

BMC Cancer

Adwoa Bemah Boamah Mensah¹  Kofi Boamah Mensah²  Neelaveni Padayachee³  Varsha Bangalee⁴  Frasia Oosthuizen⁴ 

[1]Department of Nursing, College of Health Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

[2]Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Science, College of Health Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

[3]Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, University Road, Durban, South Africa

[4]Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[5]Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, University Road, Durban, South Africa

关键词: Childhood cancer;    Medicines;    Availability;    Price;    Affordability;    Ghana;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12885-021-08435-x

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionAccess to childhood cancer medicines is a critical global health challenge. There is a lack of sufficient context-specific data in Ghana on access to essential medicines for treating childhood cancers. Here, we present an analysis of essential cancer medicine availability, pricing, and affordability using the pediatric oncology unit of a tertiary hospital as the reference point.MethodData on prices and availability of 20 strength-specific essential cancer medicines and eight non-cancer medicines were evaluated using the modified World Health Organization (WHO)/Health Action International method. Two pharmacies in the hospital and four private pharmacies around the hospital were surveyed. We assessed their median price ratio using the WHO international reference price guide. The number of days wages per the government daily wage salary was used to calculate the affordability of medicines.ResultsThe mean availability of essential cancer medicines and non-cancer medicines at the hospital pharmacies were 27 and 38% respectively, and 75 and 84% respectively for private pharmacies. The median price ratio of cancer medicines was 1.85, and non-cancer medicines was 3.75. The estimated cost of medicines for treating a 30 kg child with Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was GHȻ 4928.04 (US$907.56) and GHȻ 4878.00 (US$902.62) for Retinoblastoma, requiring 417 and 413-days wages respectively for the lowest-paid unskilled worker in Ghana.ConclusionThe mean availability of cancer medicines at the public and private pharmacies were less than the WHO target of 80%. The median price ratio for cancer and non-cancer medicines was less than 4, yet the cost of medicines appears unaffordable in the local setting. A review of policies and the establishment of price control could improve availability and reduce medicines prices for the low-income population.

【 授权许可】

CC BY