Abstract
To document a volunteer pharmacist's experiences in order to encourage more pharmacists to join in to expand undertaking the pharmacist's community responsibility.
Among several humanitarian and charity organizations, Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps (TRMPC) is especially a non-religious, non-profitable, non-governmental organization (NGO). I began to join in TRMPC's charity missions as a volunteer pharmacist in April, 2010. Since then I have learnt how to do the preliminary supplementing and equipping of all the necessary medicines and related materials. I have also gained the skill of making arrangement of the interior allocations for a pharmacy dispensing area for short term operation. More importantly, I have learnt to team-work smoothly with volunteer from various disciplinary areas including doctors, nurses, and social workers.
Ultimately and fortunately, All TRMPC's volunteers dedicated with joyful hearts for our mutual goal to disseminate Taiwan's love to timely and regularly relieve of the indigent people's illness and pain with respect, dignity and love.
Key Words: volunteer pharmacist, community responsibility, non-governmental organization (NGO), charity, humanitarian, free medical clinic
Background
There are several active humanitarian relief organizations in Taiwan including Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps (TRMPC), Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, and a number of religious organizations such as Christ and Catholic church foundations. TRMPC, as a non-religious, non-profitable NGO, was founded in 17. Dec. 1995. Founded on beneficence and unconditional love, it is a charitable and humanitarian mission regardless of political, racial, governmental or religious creeds to provide free medical assistance or rescue efforts locally and worldwide. I have wholeheartedly enjoyed my participation in TRMPC's charity missions.
Aims
The objective of this report is to share the experiences of a volunteer pharmacist (Photo 1) for providing free pharmaceutical services in the free medical clinic missions of TRMPC, with the hope to encourage more pharmacists' participation, to activate the pharmaceutical and medical relief efforts in beneficent activities and to further expand undertaking the community responsibility.
Photo 1
Methods
1. I was approved as a registered TRMPC volunteer pharmacist on March 21, 2010.
2. On April 24, 2010, I joined in TRMPC's monthly missions to deliver free medical clinic including pharmaceutical services (Photo 2) to our own Taiwanese aboriginals (or indigenous peoples) in the remote mountain tribes in Nantou County.
Photo 2
3. Through domestic free medical clinic practices, I learned more and more operational details including the preliminary arrangement and equipping (Photo 3) for a temporary pharmacy.
Photo 3
4. During the domestic missions, twenty seven tribes were visited including Tzu-Fone, Hong-Shian, Treh-l uan, Huan-Shan, Shin-Mei, Lie-Chia, Da-Bong, Chau-Shan, Ma-Chia, Bae-Yeh, Der-Wen, Chin-Ho, Shan-Lie, Chi-Mei, Shia- Ma, Wu- Loo, Tai-Yuan , Chin-Yang, Shin-Kuang , Yang-Lau, Shih-Lae, Mali-Kuang, Shaeh-Wunau, Taen-Go, Da-An, Tzoo-Lin, Hua-Yuan, and, in Liuo-Guay Town, Christian Mountain Children's Home. Most indigent people in the remote mountain areas were impoverished and had limited access to the scarce medical resources.
5. Well trained in professional skills, I am ready to take part in international missions in developing nations.
6. During the period of 7 Aug. to 26 Aug. 2010, I participated in the TRMPC's Mid American Free Medical Clinic Mission to provide pharmaceutical care services in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
7. In the successive international missions, I participated in delivering pharmaceutical care services to the people of Philippines ( Oct. 9 ~ 16, 2010, Photo 4), India ( Dec. 14 ~ 23, 2010, Photo 5), South Africa (Photo 6~7) and Lesotho ( Feb. 6 ~ 20, 2011).
Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6 Photo 7
Results
1. During the period of 11 months ( Apr. 2010 ~Feb. 2011 ), I took part in 8 domestic free medical clinic missions and provided pharmaceutical services to thousands of impoverished aboriginals.
2. Working together with other TRMPC volunteer team members. I learnt to estimate and optimize the stock for hundreds of medicine items, to inventory TRMPC's warehouse of medicines, to submit the supplementary purchasing order, and to preliminarily prepare adequate quantity of all the materials as well as equipments for pharmacy dispensing processes.
3. I also took part in four overseas free medical clinic missions and provided pharmaceutical services to more than twenty thousand people in seven developing countries.
4. Important lesson are learned. According to the regulation of international airline, each TRMPC member passenger is allowed to check in 23 kg forwarding luggage by flight transportation. The allowance is exclusively for TRMPC's medical equipments and medicines. Each TRMPC member should carry his or her own personal luggage by himself or herself on the airplane.
5. Further lessons learnt from the dedicative pharmaceutical care services: Medical resources and food are still lacking in many parts of the world. Great love is without national boundary and Taiwan is in a position to deliver such love and care. The worldwide humanitarian and medical mission needs dedicated people from the health professionals.
Conclusions
Poviding free medical clinic assistance to the other developing and impoverished regions really meets the goal of dissemination of love, compassion and humanity without national boundary. I hope I will be healthy and strong to continually participate in TRMPC's domestic and international free medical clinic missions and to pass on Taiwan's great love to various countries and people who are in need of medical relief. I would like to encourage pharmacists to accept the challenges of becoming a part of the free medical clinic mission, it is well worth your dedication.
摘要
擴大承擔藥師的社會責任
分享義工藥師的個人經驗是為了激勵更多的藥師來加入和擴展承擔藥師的社會責任。
在幾個力行博愛和人道主義的組織之中，臺灣路竹醫療和平會 (Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps; TRMPC) 特別是一個非宗教，非營利的非政府組織(non-governmental organization; NGO)。 身為一位義工藥師，我在2010年4月開始加入TRMPC的傳愛使命。 經由參加八次國內義診和四次國外義診的歷練裡，我學會了如何在國內做好前置作業、補充和裝備所有必要的藥品和相關的器材與耗材配備，如何在現場就地安排暫時性簡易藥局內部的所有分工作業的場地佈局、如何分派人力與支援，以及如何與現場的不同專業領域義工醫師們、護理師們和社工師們合作順利。
始終很幸運地，大家愉快地一起為我們共同的目標而努力；傳播臺灣的愛，免除人類的病痛，給病人尊敬、尊嚴與疼愛。
作者
中華民國藥師公會全國聯合會
藥學雜誌總編輯 林麗真
