PHARMACISTS have an ethical duty to accept responsibility, as health care professionals, for providing aid to others in disaster situations, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) says in a new Statement of Policy released yesterday.
This means having plans in place to respond appropriately in the event of a natural or man-made disaster and to limit its impact.
FIP's Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section secretary Jane Dawson said, "There has been an increasingly large number of natural disasters over the past 10 years.
"Just last month we've had a large typhoon in Hong Kong, a monsoon in Bangladesh, and Hurricane Harvey in the US, followed by devastating floods and many lives lost," Dawson added.
"With global warming, such events are predicted not only to become more frequent but to increase in severity, and we pharmacists need to be prepared.
Dawson went on to say patients needed pharmacists to provide their medicines and give advice in stressful situations, and the way to prepare and manage through was clearly spelled out in the statement.
Go to fip.org for access.
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