Medicines
Our approach to medicines
PSF Switzerland’s primary vocation is to improve access to quality pharmaceutical care for the most vulnerable populations. Medicines, which are at the heart of our actions, can represent health risks if they are not used in the right conditions. This is the main reason why we do not accept the donation of unused medicines, and why we work exclusively with local suppliers. This not only improves the monitoring and quality of the medicine, but also develops local economic activity, so as to reduce the dependence on international aid. PSF Switzerland thus applies the WHO guidelines. Here are some further explanations.
Unpacking and sorting medicines, Lugala Hospital, 2018. © PSF Switzerland
Donation of medicines
A regulated use
Although generous, this gesture calls for some warnings. When used in the wrong way, medicine can pose health risks. The donation of unused medicines is subject to strict rules and quality requirements.
Many humanitarian organisations active in the field of health, such as the ICRC, UNHCR, MSF or PSF, have committed themselves to follow the WHO Guidelines for Drug Donations.
Guidelines to be taken into account
- Aid must be adapted to the needs of the field. Any action should be carried out after an on-site needs assessment or upon specific request from local medical staff.
- The medicine must remain in the hands of health professionals. Quality standards must remain the same in our countries as on the other side of the world.
- Unused medicines collected from the population should not be included in humanitarian aid.
- Drug donations must respect the health policies of the recipient country.
- One-off donations should be avoided and long-term assistance should be prioritised, working with local staff and creating local supply networks that will remain in place after the aid agencies have left.
When sending medicines, problems of delivery and risks of diversion must be taken into account.
Stocks of medicines, Sri Lanka, 2005. © PSF Switzerland
PSF Switzerland and unused medicines donation
Risks taken into account!
Since 1999, PSF Switzerland has committed itself to no longer work with unused medicines.
Why is this so? Truly sustainable development is based on the implementation of local measures and the empowerment of disadvantaged populations. The sending of unused medicines can have serious and severe consequences, from an ethical, health and economic point of view. The attached infographic outlines the main consequences of sending collected medicines.
All these reasons lead PSF Switzerland to favour the purchase of essential generic medicines from local purchasing centres, thus reinforcing the efforts of the authorities to create a sustainable distribution circuit.
Unused medicines: No to sending them to the field
Marie-José Barbalat, pharmacist and President of PSF Switzerland, addresses all pharmacy staff in Switzerland, urging them to pass on this important message to their customers: unused medicines have no place in development cooperation or humanitarian aid projects. Consequently, however well-intentioned, they should never be sent to the field. As an alternative to helping vulnerable populations, support local NGOs with a monetary donation. These organizations know exactly what their needs are.
Incinerator and disposal pit for expired medicines, Madagascar, © PSF Switzerland.
PSF Switzerland calls for an end to the donation of unused medicines to countries with limited resources
We invite you to read PSF Switzerland’s appeal, published on Medicus Mundi Switzerland’s website, which aims to alert both the public and healthcare professionals to the risks of this practice, both in terms of public health and from an economic and ecological point of view.
Discover the appeal here (availaible in German and French).
Discover our photo story on unused medicines!
What should we do with unused medicines? How can I avoid having them at home? Should they be donated?
The PSF Switzerland office is often confronted with these questions, as the public is often unaware of how to dispose of medicines that are no longer valid or useful. In order to tackle a subject that concerns us all, PSF Switzerland has produced a photo story that humorously suggests a course of action while raising consumer awareness of the rational use of medicines*.
We hope this light-hearted read will clear your mind on the subject!
Our photo story is also available here in PDF format, so don’t hesitate to share it!
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone or e-mail.
* According to the WHO, ‘rational use [of medicines] means that patients receive medicines that are appropriate to their clinical needs, in a dosage that is right for them, over an appropriate period of time, and at minimal cost to them or their community’.