PDA is a member of EPhEU (Employed Pharmacists of Europe) whose membership is made up of several European organisations like the PDA. EPhEU was approached by its Ukrainian members and asked for help following the destruction of the healthcare infrastructure during the military invasion.
As the elected Secretary General of EPhEU, it fell to Mark Koziol (PDA Chairman) to propose and execute a plan for the EPhEU member countries. A campaign was launched which involved developing and promoting the display of ‘Medicines to Ukraine’ posters in pharmacy windows across all of the EPhEU member countries which invited members of the public to make donations. All the donations across the continent were pooled and handled by charities, ensuring that no pharmacy organisation ever handled any of the money.
The plan was simplicity itself, but the enormous learning exercise showed that it was the expertise possessed by pharmacists and in some cases, their established humanitarian credentials that enabled the European pharmacy organisations working together to procure more than £4.5million of medicines, delivering them directly to pharmacists working for the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.
PDA Chair standing next to a burnt-out Russian tank while delivering Medicines to Ukraine
The entire scheme is based on a pull system – sending what is needed to the right location by responding directly to specific requests from those on the ground. This was a contrast to the traditional push model which typically sees leftover medicines and medical devices being randomly sent, which often does not reflect the specific needs of the situation.
The success of the EPhEU scheme is down to the regional proximity and connections as well as the pharmacist expertise. It soon became obvious that this could be used to support humanitarian crises anywhere in the world, and this is how the wider ‘Medicines To’ ambition was created.
Developing the International connections
If the PDA wanted to run this scheme in other parts of the world, it would need to develop international pharmacy connections. In 2022, the profession was surprised by the discovery that some time before, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society had left the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and this meant that the UK had no formal organisational UK representation at that important global forum. Consequently, when the PDA applied for membership, no permission would be needed from any existing UK pharmacy organisation to permit a second UK pharmacy organisation to join. The PDA was rapidly accepted into FIP membership giving it access to more than 150 pharmacy organisations across the globe.
FIP membership also enabled the PDA to attend meetings at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva where the ambitions for a global ‘Medicines To’ campaign were shared.
PDA Chair attending the World Health Organisation in Geneva
“It is apparent that there are many parts of the world where this kind of support is needed right now, as well as understanding the need to anticipate what may happen in the future and how to be able to respond promptly. The ‘Medicines To’ model can be set up essentially anywhere, but it needs local network knowledge and partnership working ; it also needs a central co-ordinating facility,” said the PDA’s chair Mark Koziol.
He continued “My ambition is that if we do well in building this scheme, then in 15 years’ time if there is a humanitarian crisis in any part of the world, the governments and the global relief organisations will all say – as far as delivering the medicines is concerned – then that’s a job for the pharmacists.”
Further developments
The ‘Medicines To’ campaign needed to be rolled out on a regional ‘continent by continent’ basis, but it was the advice of the WHO that urged the initial focus to be placed on Africa. This was the region where more humanitarian crises per head of population were occurring than anywhere else in the world.
It was at the PDA’s first ever FIP congress in Brisbane in 2023 (and just 8 months after joining FIP) that a presentation was given to the FIP Council requesting that the ‘Medicines To’ campaign be formally recognised by FIP. Incredibly, this was supported by 100% of the approximately 130 multinational members of Council who were present to vote. The PDA’s chair was then invited to present this proposal to all the international delegates in full Congress.
The PDA’s ‘Medicines To’ presentation to FIP Congress in Brisbane 2023
The FIP ‘Medicines To’ Presentation Brisbane
On the same day, senior representatives from the National Pharmacy bodies of South Africa stated that they would be the first to sign up to the ‘Medicines To’ campaign in Africa and that they would seek the support of many more African countries.
‘Medicines to Africa’ signing ceremony. Pictured left to right is Sham Moodley, President ICPA South Africa, Lars Ake-Soderlund, Vice President of FIP, Mark Koziol, PDA Chairman, and Dr Catherine Duggan, FIP CEO
Hear the words of Lars Ake-Soderlund, Vice President of FIP by clicking here.
Hear the words of Dr Catherine Duggan, FIP CEO by clicking here.
At the emotional signing ceremony at the launch of ‘Medicines to Africa’ under a South African flag, Lars Ake Soderlund, the Vice President of FIP said “Since recently joining FIP, the PDA has propelled and accelerated FIPs humanitarian credentials.”
These developments are just the start….
Watch out for the next PDA humanitarian update – setting up Pharmacists without Borders in the UK and to find out what we are going to do to help in the humanitarian crisis in Palestine?
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