Based on the World Health Organization’s essential medicine model to promote universal health coverage, the ministerially appointed National Essential Medicines List COVID-19 therapeutics subcommittee has been tasked with selecting essential medicines for the national management of COVID-19.

A multidisciplinary team of front-line clinicians, public health specialists, epidemiologists, clinical pharmacologists and guideline methodologists, in collaboration locally, with the GRADE-SA network and Cochrane-SA; and supported internationally by the COVID.nma initiative has undertaken  rapid reviews to expedite national evidence-based COVID-19 practice guidelines. A consistent, methodological approach of reviewing the evidence using a standardised approach has been used, as outlined in the rapid review protocol. 

The results of these reviews will be discussed in a series of webinars led by the National Department of Health in partnership with Cochrane South Africa, hosted by the South African Medical Research Council. The webinars are for healthcare providers in both primary, secondary and tertiary settings who are interested in keeping up to date with the latest evidence-based guidelines applicable to South Africa. 

The webinars will take place every three weeks and will focus on the most up-to-date reviews of treatments for COVID-19 including vitamin C, ivermectin, corticosteroids, heparin, azithromycin, amongst others. 

For the schedule of the webinars and to register click here