ENSURING ACCESS TO MEDICINES
Speaker – Keith W. Johnson (11-29-2012)
At today’s special speaker event we had Pharmacist Keith W. Johnson talk
about his work at the Management Sciences for Health. The organization works in
underdeveloped countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, and Liberia to ensure that
the people there have access to medications. Before the organization’s work in Tanzania, the people there had very limited access to medications. The
nearest pharmacy could be 25 km away which is especially far when patients do
not have transportation means. Essentially the organization worked to convert ‘cold
pharmacies’ which sold over the counter medications and accredited them so that
proper medication storage and counseling was taking place. The picture above shows an accredited Duka La Dawa Muhimu (pharmacy). The program has been successful because of
active partnership with the government and the local people. The organization
allows for the local people to take ownership of the project to ensure that it
continues to be carried out for years to come.
Attending this speaker helped me realize that I would like to spend two
or three weeks working in developing countries sometime. It would be a great opportunity to learn
about health care from another perspective and learn about a new culture at the
same time.
