Pharmaciens Sans Frontières Comité International (PSFCI) is the largest humanitarian association in the world specialized in the pharmaceutical sector. Founded in 1985 to retrieve unused drugs from chemists for use in developing countries, PSFCI extended its objectives to help developing countries set up a locally adapted health care system.
Like Médecins Sans Frontières, PSFCI was founded and based in France, but has since evolved to an international organization, with support from national associations in a number of countries, including Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Tunisia. PCFCI has organized missions in countries in Africa, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Far East, and Latin America.
The missions of PSFCI are typically either emergency missions to countries affected by natural, human, or economic disasters; development missions to improve healthcare in impoverished countries; and technical assistance missions.
PSFCI has received donations from the industry and members for its internal organization but claims that it relies heavily on government donations to finance international missions.
In October 2009, the French nonprofit organization Pharmaciens Sans Frontières – International Committee (PSF-CI), involved in reorganization proceedings since July 2009, wound-up by decision of the court. The French NGO Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, one of the main charities in France, offered to take up some of the projects implemented by PSF-CI in order to continue their action in the field. Several other national and independent associations of the PSF network, like Switzerland, Denmark, Canada and Germany, are still active.
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Award
Pharmaciens Sans Frontières was awarded the "practitioner of the year award" for their performance during 1999 by the FIP Foundation for Education and Research.
Pharmacists without borders Germany
The Association Pharmacists without borders Germany was founded in June 2000 and is based in Munich, Germany. It is an accredited non-profit and charitable organisation. More than 1,400 members in Germany and worldwide engage in various areas of our work. Most of them are pharmacists and pharmaceutical-technical assistants who work in public pharmacies, hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry.
Objectives
Improvement in health care – The aim of their work is to improve the health care provision in their project countries. Key practice areas are:
Humanitarian aid and development cooperation
The Pharmacists without borders Germany provides high-quality pharmaceutical services for both emergency aid and development cooperation. They always consider the specific regional requirements and cooperate closely with local and international partners.
Pharmaceutical products
They offer support with medicine of proven quality according to the guidelines of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.
Training courses (basic and advanced education)
In their project countries the Pharmacists without borders Germany promote the training of pharmaceutical staff. In addition, they organise training courses, for example in hygiene or the organisation of a drug storage.
In Germany they periodically offer training courses for interested members during which they are introduced to the basics of humanitarian work for pharmacists. In addition they conduct pharmaceutical trainings for partner organisations.
Education and advice
The Pharmacists without borders Germany are advocate against counterfeit medicines (e.g. in the project IMPACT of the WHO) and inform people about a good drug-donation practice.
Long term projects
In addition to various emergency operations in Sri Lanka, Haiti, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines Pharmacists without borders Germany works on long-term projects in the following countries:
The aid of the Pharmacists without borders Germany in Argentina is versatile: In various locations and projects, this organisation provides the supply of medicinal products, the construction of well-functioning pharmacies in health centres, dental hygiene projects for children as well as training courses in the healthcare sector.
Their tasks include the supply of the health centre with essential pharmaceuticals, especially for people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertonia and asthma. The organisation also provides reagents and test strips.
Since 2008 the Pharmacists without borders Germany has been involved in several aid projects in Haiti.
The focus of their efforts is to create an access to health care and essential drugs for the people who need it the most. After the emergency operations in 2008 (hurricane), 2010 (earthquake) and 2010-2011 (Cholera intervention) the Pharmacists without borders Germany are focussed on the expansion of a health centre in Léogâne, a city southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince.
The Pharmacists without borders Germany are committed to the health care of the indigenous populations of Mexico and provide a training program for health assistants, the so-called `Promotores de Salud`, and with purchasing medicinal products.
One of their cooperation partners is Justicia y Amor, a private foundation based in Mexico City. They attend to numerous communities located in the mountains of Guerrero as well as in the states of Oaxaca, Puebla, Tabasco and Veracruz.
The remote location of many indigenous communities brings a multitude of obstacles for supplying health care: Transport paths and streets are often in such a bad condition that some places can only be reached by foot.