E-DRUG: Financial Support to Attend the 2010 World Pharmacy Congress
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[To respond DO NOT CLICK REPLY. Go to the URL in the message or contact Lindsay McClure <lindsaymcc@aol.com> ]
Dear Colleague,
Each year the FIP Pharmacy Information Section offer a stipend to financially support pharmacists or pharmacy students from developing countries to attend the FIP World Pharmacy Congress. The deadline for applying for the 2010 Stipend has been extended to the 1st May 2010.
Detailed information including the conditions and application requirements can be found on the FIP Pharmacy Information Section of the FIP Website (http://www.fip.org//www/?page=pp_sect_pisp_stipend). The maximum support for one recipient is 1000 Euros. Preference is given to first-time attendees to the Congress.
This year's FIP Congress will take place from the 28th August - 2nd September in Lisbon, Portugal and offers a varied and topical programme. Preceding the Congress, of particular interest to Information Pharmacists is a pre-Congress Workshop on Resources to Support Medicines Information Services.
Please don't hesitate contact me for more information on the Stipend - and we hope to see you in Lisbon!
Lindsay McClure
Secretary
FIP Pharmacy Information Section
lindsaymcc@aol.com
E-DRUG: People's Pharmacy
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{Thanks Gamal. This is a very interesting message. We look forward to information about the next plans for Sudan. Moderator]
Dear Colleagues,
Under the title: “Troubles beset ‘Jan Aushadhi’ plan to broaden access to generics” Killugudi wrote a passage published in the Nature Medicine Vol.16(4): p.350 (see link: www.nature.com/whalecom0/nm/journal/v16/n4/pdf/nm0410-350a.pdf).
In Sudan, the government had tried similar strategy in the early 1980s. At that time Essential medicines were freely dispensed at governmental health facilities. The people’s pharmacies, which are quasi-public establishments retailing medicines and medical supplies at below market prices to improve access and availability of pharmaceuticals. They were founded as a pilot study for a medicine cost recovery system. They differ from the private commercial pharmacies; firstly, in having access to the Central Medical Supplies Public Organisation (CMSPO) drugs i.e. generic and large pack products, in addition to the brand products from the private wholesalers. Secondly, the people’s pharmacies are only owned by public organisations (e.g. hospitals), people’s committees, trade unions and NGOs. Mark-up on cost for drugs from CMSPO 35% and from private drug wholesalers, profit margin is 10% , (15% for community pharmacies, which are owned by private sector).
Based on the 10-year National Comprehensive Strategy (1992-2002), It was the policy of the federal Ministry of Health to give priority to expanding the People’s Pharmacy services. The target was to establish 300 pharmacies in the rural areas as well as urban ones. It looks sound strategy to improve access to essential medicines by establishing this kind of pharmacy service in resource limiting settings. However, 30 years later, People pharmacies in Sudan were almost not existent. This is because, driven by profit-making mentality, People’s pharmacies gradually converted to profit-making organizations. The experience of People’s pharmacies needs to be evaluated and a number of lessons could be learned. However, there was a general feeling that these pharmacies met their objectives during 1980s and 1990s.