Where there are no pharmacists

In many low resource and remote settings it is not always possible to have a qualified pharmacist managing medicines; instead health workers, nurses, pharmacy officers, pharmacy technicians and others play this role. Assessments show severe deficiencies in the way medicines are managed and handled in the long chain from medical stores to rural health clinics and finally, to patients. A series of simple steps can be taken to strengthen this chain and improve the quality of use of medicines no matter how remote or rural the community is. Where There Are No Pharmacists (WTANP) was written to demystify medicines and help everyone involved with medicines manage them correctly and safely. Commissioned by Health Action International (HAI) and Third World Network (TWN), written by experts and now available at a subsidized cost for health workers in resource poor settings, WTANP is about managing medicines. It explains how to order, store, prepare, dispense and assist those in the community to use medicines safely and effectively. This handbook is in easy-to-read language and contains many illustrations. A pharmacology and pharmacy glossary provides explanations for technical terms that staff will come across when learning, teaching and referencing. Access to essential, life-saving and quality medicines is every person's right and knowledge associated with medicines should not be a guarded secret among health professionals but freely shared by everyone. People with low literacy can be trusted to grasp what is communicated if the communication tool is comprehensive. Where There Are No Pharmacists is such a tool.