Promoting Rational Drug Use in the Community Advocacy and Networking

Promoting Rational Drug Use in the Community

Advocacy and Networking

Advocacy and networkingPromoting Rational Drug Use in the Community

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Advocacy and NetworkingSession Objectives

Importance of collaboration Effective advocacy Principles of networking Various networks

Exchange of experience and discussion


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Collaboration - why?

multiplication of strengths

sharing of skills and strengths

use limited resources effectively

learn lessons from others

bringing together different actors


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Effective advocacy

Understand the problem

Define your objectives

Focus your ideas


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Identify influence

Who makes decisions? How are decisions made? What is the time-frame? What are key moments?

preparation is critical understanding the rules of the game

enables you to become a player.


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Get to know decision makers

Who are they? Are they accessible? Do they know you and your purpose? Do they hear from you regularly? What can you do for them?

• Information• Access to your group• Press coverage for positive action


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Build a strong case

Anticipate counter arguments

Select useful facts and examples

Formulate goals carefully

Deal positively with criticism


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Identify allies and helpful experts

Look at different levels of influence Look at those who partially share your

views Look at different roles

• the expert witness• the popular hero• the powerful voice


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How do you get a result like this?

In a hard-hitting speech to the British pharmaceutical Conference in Glasgow, Princess Anne said firms should focus on effective long-term measures such as cutting drug prices rather than short-term publicity stunts.

The princess, an honorary fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which organised the conference, also warned that basic disease prevention measures, such as immunisation programmes, were in decline in many countries. She said donations of medicines often failed to cover their distribution costs, which sapped other scarce health spending.”(IP-Health Sept 2001)


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Identify and understand your opponents

Who are they? What are their reasons? What are their interests? What strategy are they likely to adopt? Can you dialogue with them? Do you have good counter-arguments?


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Develop a campaign timeframe

Don’t wait till the last minute

Make the most of a launch moment

How to keep momentum

Windows of opportunity

Do you need to end?


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Evaluation

Look carefully at your campaign

What are the lessons?

What have you gained?

Have their been negative spin-offs?

Do you need to modify your strategy?


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Networking

Communication and cooperation between groups and individuals sharing a commitment to a common goal, ideal or objective.

Sharing resources and/or ideas

Providing mutual support and assistance


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Networks: different forms

national/international

informal/more structured

virtual/face-to-face

short-term/long-term

small selective/open


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What makes networks effective?

mutual trust and solidarity active participation decentralised activities clearly shared goals coordination flexibility for rapid response expertise and experience cooperation and collaboration resources for key activities


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Threats and pitfalls

lack of money

lack of focus

inability to agree on strategy and priorities

domination by one or few partners

tendency to centralise power/resources


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get in touch with othersallies, sympathetic experts etc

ideas and examples attention for your work potential funding contacts back-up in trouble

How can you use networks?


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What can you contribute?

share your successes

help others get started

share information

share expertise

give support to others


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Advocacy Activity 1: First Task choose an objective

Implementation of existing law or ethical criteria to regulate drug promotion (can aim to confront OTC advertising, DTCA and ‘undercover’ ads etc)

Inclusion of RDU education in primary school curriculum

Increasing access to safe, effective and affordable GENERIC drugs


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Advocacy Activity 1: Second task

Discuss the advocacy objective selected: what exactly do you want to achieve? If needed, formulate sub-objectives for the advocacy campaign.

Brainstorm: who do you need to collaborate with? Who is likely to resist? Make a list of stakeholders.


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MSF campaign to increase access to drugs: sub-objectives

Achieve health exception in trade agreements

Overcome access barriers

Stimulating research and development for neglected diseases


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Advocacy Activity 1: Third taskStakeholder analysis

Which stakeholders have you identified? Are they likely to resist or support your

advocacy objective. What arguments will be used to resist?

In what way will you be able to collaborate with stakeholders who support your objectives?

How will you deal with resistance? How will you respond to the counter arguments?


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Activity 2: PRDU by consumers: 1) reflect on existing networks/networking

Who promotes rational use of drugs by consumers in your country?

Do these people work together? Do they share successes and failures? Do they support each other? Consider also electronic networks?

If they do not network, why not?


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2) Activity 2: How to strengthen country PRDU by consumers networks Brainstorm about the ways in which we

can strengthen our efforts to promote

rational use of drugs by consumers by

means of networking

Write ideas on a whiteboard/flipchart

Select three key activities/good ideas,

and present in plenary


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Summary advocacy and networking

Develop clear objectives and an advocacy

plan

Be imaginative in identifying partners and

allies

Be creative in using windows of opportunity

Find out about international and national

networks in which you can participate

Maybe you need to create your own network


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Summary framework

Advocacy

Components Strategies•Research

•Stakeholder

analysis

•Plan

•Activities

•Evaluation

•Networking

•Collaboration

•Lobbying

Documents

Promoting Rational Drug Use in the Community Advocacy and Networking