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Could you help?
Pharmacists who would like to be involved in Mr Ward’s project
to bring a medicines information service to Uganda, either through
a financial donation or by providing some of the necessary books,
can contact him at:
Pharmacy Department, St Francis Hospital, Nsambya,
Kampala, PO Box 7146, Uganda
tel +25 671 485052 or +25 641 501043
e-mail stevensambya@yahoo.co.uk
website www.st-francis-nsambya.org |
St Francis hospital in Kampala |
Since registering as a pharmacist in Northern Ireland in 2002, I had
been planning some kind of voluntary work abroad, partly through a desire
to help out where I can and partly through a selfish desire to travel.
During the two years that I worked as a community pharmacist I became
a member of the missionary organisation Viatores Christi. Its six-weekly
workshops were good preparation for me in all aspects of aid work abroad.
My opportunity came in the form of a hospital pharmacy placement in Kampala,
Uganda. St Francis Hospital is a 350-bed tertiary hospital that was originally
established by English missionary nuns over 100 years ago. My job was
to replace the only pharmacist, who was leaving to continue her studies.
My six months in Uganda have been enjoyable so far. The weather is equatorial,
the people friendly and the beer is cheap. Although Uganda is still regarded
as a developing country, it has had some relatively successful highlights
in the past 20 years. Most notable is the dramatic fall in the incidence
of HIV. This has been attributed to the government’s early acceptance
of the problem and their “ABC campaign” — Abstain,
Be faithful, or use Condoms. HIV incidence has fallen from 30 per cent
in the early 1990s to 10 per cent now.
In some respects pharmacy here is similar to pharmacy in the UK in name
only. As a profession, it is a relatively new concept, so there is plenty
with which to get involved. When I first arrived my initial reaction
was to try to change a lot straight away. However the Viatores Christi
training was useful because it taught me that I should initially just
assess the situation. Sometimes there is good reason for the difference.
For example, all medicines labels here are handwritten and dosage instructions
are in a numerical form, for example, “1x2”. I must have
looked a bit shocked when I discovered this but I was told that most
patients are illiterate and this is the easiest way to communicate dosage
instructions. The local language is Luganda. Combining this with a Belfast
accent usually produces an amused reaction from local people.
Small changes
Stephen Ward discusses medicines with hospital nurses |
In the past six months I have been busy with a number of small changes.
Stock has been transferred to a new building and a maximum/minimum
stock level system established. I have started staff training in the
use of warning labels and customer service. A full product list has
been produced for all the wards. I am currently in the process of trying
to rationalise some of the hospitals treatment protocols, particularly
regarding infections. This has been difficult because the senior doctors
are concerned about the amount of time it takes to set up protocols.
The Ministry of Health here has spent two years setting Uganda’s “Clinical
guidelines”, so doctors are cautious about reinventing the wheel.
It has been proposed that the pharmacy carry out some drug evaluation
studies within the hospital to identify any problems and then to discuss
them with the relevant consultants. From this an education and awareness
programme can be initiated to promote the safe, appropriate, cost-effective
use of the products that are currently available.
My main project for the near future has arisen from a need that has
been identified not just within the hospital but throughout the whole
country.
After talking to the secretary of the Ugandan Pharmaceutical Society,
I became aware that Uganda does not have a medicines information service.
My aim, therefore, is to establish one within the hospital. Its core
function will be answering enquiries to support clinical problem-solving
for both hospital staff and external health care providers. Unfortunately,
since the hospital is a non-profit organisation, this project requires
external funding.
My initial aim is to purchase tertiary reference books. The second stage
involves the installation of an internet connection in the pharmacy to
access databases and primary journals. Once this is complete I can communicate
to all the hospitals and pharmacies that the service is available.
Any pharmacists who might be able to provide some assistance with my
project, are welcome to contact me. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal