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Essay Sustainability, Health and Innovation (GEO3-2266)
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Essay about the benefits and limitations of the WHO essential medicines list.
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The WHO Essential Medicines List: Howbeneficial is it really for the Dutch healthcare?
Yara F. Langeveld
Student BSc Natuurwetenschap en Innovatiemanagement
Sustainability, Health and Innovation (GEO3-2266) - Universiteit Utrecht
October 22 2021
Word count: 649
To capture the minimum medicine needs of every healthcare system, the World Health Organization
(WHO) launched an Essential Medicines List (EML) in 1977, which is revised every two years by an
expert committee11. This list of a limited number of cost-effective, well-known medicines can
improve the long-term medicine supply and lower the cost of medicines for 137 countries
worldwide6,11. The EML guides national health agendas in making a national list of essential
medicines. However, in counteracting the assumption that the benefits of the WHO EML outweigh
the disadvantages, one must critically reflect on its pitfalls. It, namely, delays the inclusion of new
medicines, limits the ability of physicians to prescribe drugs and creates monopoly-like control for
pharmaceutical companies1. This raises the question of how beneficial the WHO EML actually is for
Dutch healthcare.
Benefits
The WHO EML has several advantages for universal health coverage. It firstly stimulates access to
affordable, effective, qualitative and safe medicines and vaccines for everyone3,12. This is in line with
the third and tenth Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations8, which stand for
“Good Health and Well-being” and “Reduced Inequalities”. This is done through an extensive,
transparent selection process performed by a team of experts that critically analyses the evidence of
drug efficacy and safety7.
Secondly, the WHO EML ensures patients receive and take the right medicines to treat their
symptoms, in the correct dose, at the right time and for the appropriate duration12. Hereby, the list
counters the problem of misuse, overuse and underuse of medicines.
Thirdly, it is an adaptable guide for national health agendas and suitable for different
situations7. The Dutch IDA foundation4, for example, offers medicines that mirror the WHO EML and
the changing needs of patients. As such, they provide medication for various cancers and new oral
drugs for diabetes4.
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