Providing access to quality medicines is a shared  objective of various Belgian organisations and individuals, all concerned with the issue (of access to and quality) of medicines and diagnostics in developing countries. Be-cause health members are pharmacists, researchers and NGOs sharing insights, research and field experiences on the quality of medicines. Belgian members are engaged from the onset with QUAMED and became the first signatories of a declaration of commitment with Belgian authorities to monitor the quality of medicines purchased via development cooperation. The group aims at influencing pharmaceutical policies in Belgium, both at government and organisation level. One earlier achievement was the development of a Charter for the quality of medicines, vaccines, diagnostic products and small medical material. Be-cause health remains an open forum to share field experiences and research on the topic.

Be-cause heath member organisations meet regularly to reflect on issues concerning the quality of medicines from two perspectives:

• A regulatory perspective, with a focus on pharmaceutical export regulations of European countries and their consequences for access to quality medicines in developing countries.
• An institutional perspective, with a focus on improving the quality assurance framework (policies and quality assurance systems) of organisations and institutions involved in the acquisition and distribution of medicines and other medical products.