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Table 3 Transparency Strategies Used to Increase Access to Information

From: Promoting transparency, accountability, and access through a multi-stakeholder initiative: lessons from the medicines transparency alliance

Country

Strategies

Ghana

Open meetings model with MeTA forum events. Proactive dissemination through web site, television, and newspapers. Contributed to progress toward a national policy on transparency and accountability in pharmaceutical sector. Created model policies/procedures at facility level where previously absent or ad hoc. Developed educational activities to increase demand for and use of data.

Jordan

Proactive dissemination model with some elements of open public meetings. National Medicines Policy now has section on transparency. Disseminated hard copy and electronic versions of documents to government offices and civil society organizations; published workplans, analytical reports, and approved policies on government web site. Educational activities included advocacy training.

Kyrgyzstan

Proactive dissemination model included publishing state medicine policy in a trade journal. Held numerous public roundtables for policy discussions. Took actions to overcome legal barriers to disclosure, and to develop technical tools to enable transparency (medicine codifier software). Promoted public information campaign to increase awareness of rights, and to inform the public of dangers of unsafe medicines. Civic education on advocacy and monitoring of policy implementation. Started web site, but no longer available.

Peru

Mainly proactive dissemination through the Medicines Price Observatory. Open meetings; for example, medicines policy meetings held in different cities, attended by civil society groups, academics, and local officials.

Philippines

Open meetings model and proactive dissemination with strong social media component. Increased process transparency with information about rules, laws, and procedures, and access to performance data. Disseminated documents at meetings, through e-mail, and on password-protected web sites intended for multi-stakeholder initiative members only.

Uganda

Open meetings model with some proactive dissemination. Findings from survey of access & pricing shared at a national meeting. Study on quality of medicines was not published due to sensitive data, but was presented at a public meeting. Stories in print media and television. Started a blog and web site, though the blog has not been updated.

Zambia

Proactive dissemination through radio programs, television, website, social media, brochures, pamphlets, fact sheets. Used a strategy of in-person communication through creation of MeTA groups at district levels. Created Facebook pages for advocacy. Disseminated some information through MeTA Forum and Roundtable events.