Access to essential medicines is a human right and a cornerstone of an effective primary health care system. Access to free essential medicines determines whether people live or die, suffer pain and discomfort, or have their ailments cured, recover from illness or endure life-long disease.

The “Stop the Stock-outs” campaign is calling on governments and health departments to end stock-outs now by:

* Giving financial and operational autonomy to the national medicines procurement and supply agency
* Allowing representation of civil society on the board of the national medicines procurement and supply agency
* Ending corruption in the medicine supply chain to stop theft and diversion of essential medicines.
* Providing a dedicated budget line for essential medicines
* Living up to commitments to spend 15% of national budgets on health care.
* Providing free essential medicines at all public health institutions.

stopstockouts.org/campaign-statement/