Pharmacy Differences

Where should I start?  Since arriving in Dominica we’ve quickly realized that many aspects of pharmacy are significantly different from what we are used to in the US.  For starters, we take everything for granted!  Can you imagine working in a pharmacy with no computers?  Keeping track of tablets in a notebook??  The pharmacist solely relies on his own knowledge and a few pharmacy textbooks.  I would have to say that the extensive role of the pharmacist in Dominica differs the most from a typical pharmacist in the US.  Here, there is only one pharmacist for multiple villages so he has to travel with a suitcase full of medicine to a different clinic every day.  On top of his traveling, he has many more responsibilities that fall outside the realm of pharmacy.  He draws blood, makes house visits, and is on call all the time.  When an emergency arises he either makes a house visit or goes into the clinic.  Can you imagine being on call 24/7?  Everyone in the village knows who the pharmacist is and they don’t hesitate to go to his house or ask him questions when they see him on his days off.  Because the nurses and doctor are in the clinic as well he often see patients and helps make recommendations based on the severity of the problem and what medications he has available at the time.  All in all, the pharmacist here plays an extremely multifaceted role in the healthcare system in these rural areas of Dominica.  I have no doubt that without him many people would go without their much needed medications.

- Jess