E-DRUG: Why donations of sample/outdated drugs are welcome (cont)
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Dr. Bratt's response to Dr. Hoehn illustrates, I think, the fact that two
dedicated, competent professionals working in difficult conditions, can
have credible, though starkly contrasting, views on the same subject.
From the perspective of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations,
samples are simply out of the question for donation purposes. Sorting them
is a terrible burden to impose on relief workers, the packaging wastes
space and is hard to dispose of, and there may not be sufficient drug to
permit a full course of therapy. They don't even make sense from a tax
deduction perspective, since samples, which are intended to be given away,
have zero market value and therefore may not be taken as a charitable tax
deduction.
Similarly, it is our view that shipping expired drugs, or drugs that may
expire before they are fully used, conflicts with the very notion of making
a charitable donation. How can a donation be charitable if it consists of
a product we would hesitate to give to our own family?
That said, I think it is important to respect the point of view Dr. Hoehn
presents as indicative of the fact that for many health workers, the
choices are frequently far from satisfactory. Rather than criticizing
people like him, we should work to find ways to get him fresh and regular
supplies of the meds he needs, perhaps by putting him in touch with a
relief agency that can help him. At the same time, we can ask that donor
companies observe the guidelines on drug donations of the WHO, which in the
soon to be published revised form, has the endorsement of the Partnership.
James B. Russo
Executive Director
Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
Bernville, PA USA
jbrusso@aol.com.
[Summarizing the discussion so far:
1. all agree that improving local essential drug supply systems should be
the first priority
2. all agree that the Interagency (not only WHO!) Donation guidelines
should be used IF donations are necessary
3. collecting samples is not useful
4. some individuals who do not get 1 or 2 in their local situation feel
that they could still should be exempted from the '1-year before expiry
date' recommendation in the WHO Guidelines if they have no alternative left
for their local patients.
Anything I missed or misrepresented? WB]
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