Comparison of essential medicines lists of Mongolia

Abstract

Background: The availability of essential, safe, effective, quality, and affordable medicines is a critical issue in the healthcare system. Rational use of medicines contributes to the health of individuals and helps address public health challenges in countries. In our country, the list of essential medicines has been approved since 1991, and most recently, the “10th list of essential medicines” and “3rd list of children’s essential medicines” were approved by order No. A/197 dated June 5, 2023. Aim: To compare essential medicines lists in Mongolia Materials and Methods: Mongolia’s health care system was compared with the model list of the World Health Organization and studied using a retrospective cohort study. Results: The 9th list of the Ministry of Health of Mongolia includes 569 drugs and 703 drugs of 30 groups, and a large number of pharmaceutical products, or 14.6%, are produced against pharmaceutical products, while the smallest product is 0.35% of pharmaceutical products. 401 of the benefits are prescribed for prescriptions, 81 for non-profit benefits and 12 for nutrients, 9 for prescription drugs with nutritional effects, and 35 fees for outpatient pharmacies. 43.9% (679) and 4.4% (69) of team physician care were assigned to use the drug treatment list included in the special specialty center and specialized specialty care list. However, in the latest list of the Ministry of Health of Mongolia, 519 drugs of 30 groups were included in the form of 654 drugs in the X list. The largest percentage (13%) of the drug group is antidote. 89.5% or 460 of all drugs included in the list are single products and 10.5% or 54 are combined products. 380 profit prescriptions, 75 nutritional prescriptions, 75 absorptive prescriptions, and 35 fee-only pharmacies serving amateur users were ordered. 42.5% (718) and 4.2% (71) of team physician care were indicated to use the list of drug therapy included in the list of special specialty centers and specialized specialty care. The largest number of pharmaceutical products produced by the Ministry of Health, included in the IX and X of the Ministry of Health, are drugs included in the WHO model. Conclusion: The list of essential drugs in our country is being developed for the 9th time based on the WHO model list, reflecting our country’s characteristics. Each newly approved list has increased medicines and dosage forms compared to the previous list.