By Marcelle Etienne: Head of Pharmacy Department
Harold Previl, M.D.: Chief Executive Officer
The patients who arrive at Hôpital Sacré Coeur for an outpatient visit are offered a one day package. The three main activities of this diagnosis and treatment process are: the patients first see the doctors, then they are sent for lab work, and finally, the patients go to the pharmacy to fill their prescriptions. This last step is the most critical for most of the patients for two major reasons:
• It is the one that will solve the patient’s health issues.
• The medicines at the hospital’s pharmacy are cheaper than any other places, when not given for free to those who cannot pay, or when those drugs have been donated by Nonprofit Organization such as AmeriCares or CMMB.
In the past year, many patients have been disappointed and frustrated because of the lack of the pharmacy’s ability to provide the medicines prescribed by the doctors. As a result, the only option available for these patients has been to go to a private pharmacy and pay 4 to 5 times the price they would pay at
Hôpital Sacré Coeur.
This crisis that has raged for at least a year is now slowly starting to give way to a more stable situation. It was indeed an overwhelming situation, which roots in the aftermath of the earthquake and cholera epidemic that disrupted the internal and external environment of the hospital. The lack of financial resources and the drastic drop in the amount of drugs received through donation were the main contributors to the pharmacy depletion.
Under the leadership of Dr. David Butler, President of the CRUDEM Foundation, and the support of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, gradually, the situation is improving. The pharmacy is stocked with basic pharmaceutical products and other supplies needed to operate the various departments of the hospital. The results after the second quarter show that there is hope. Local procurement is now done on a regular basis, greatly reducing out of stock. And, thanks to the generosity of donors such Dr. Timothy Finley and the Order of Malta, Federal Association, desperately needed pharmaceuticals for the upcoming quarter are in hand.
We want to advocate on behalf of patients of our cardiology and diabetes clinics whose economic conditions are very precarious and are unable to bear the considerable cost of the care they need. We are relying on our supporters, mainly AmeriCares, to help us support these patients, so they can receive the expensive cardiovascular and diabetic medicines free of charge.
The Pharmacy Department must establish good relationships with our various stakeholders; whether they are suppliers or donors, in order to improve services. Our emphasis is now on defining clear cut objectives, as well as implementation of new procedures and best practices of pharmacy regulation and management. We are also advocating for the production of regular and consistent reports to senior management to make appropriate decisions that meet the various beneficiaries.
The task at hand is a chain, the pharmacy is just one link, and the pharmacy staff is willing and will work together with everyone to help fulfill the mission of Hôpital Sacré Coeur, to provide quality care at lowest cost regardless of faith or religion.
