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WASHINGTON, DC, May 24, 2004 — PSI changed Malagasy law this month, making four of its reproductive health products more available in a way that is unprecedented for Madagascar and much of Africa. The Ministry of Health issued an Arrêté Ministeriele allowing private sector doctors in Madagascar to purchase four PSI products - Pilplan oral contraceptives, Confiance injectables and Genicure and Cura-7 STI kits - from pharmacies for resale directly to their family planning clients and sexually-transmitted infection (STI) patients. This achievement is the culmination of months of work by PSI/Madagascar. Previously, doctors prescribed the products to their clients who then had to go the pharmacy to purchase them. This change represents a major shift in pharmaceutical law. PSI/Madagascar's Top Reseau clinics, as well as the county's other 4,000+ private sector doctors, will now be legally authorized to sell PSI's products. "This is a remarkable achievement, especially for a Francophone country, which shows the level of influence PSI has in Madagascar," says Country Representative David McAfee. "Only our [PSI] social marketing products are included in the list. It shows how important our pharmaceutical products are viewed by the public sector in the fight against unwanted pregnancies and STIs." Although PSI does not often advocate for legal reform, there are several instances where PSI has effected legal change to enhance access to its health products and services. In Zimbabwe, for example, PSI gained rights for nurses and midwives, the largest providers of family planning in the country, to prescribe oral and injectable contraceptives. — David J. Olson, PSI/Washington
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