Preparedness of Pharmaceutical Services in Military Organizations: Learning from an Assessment in Brazil

Abstract

Introduction:The participation of armed forces in humanitarian operations and in disaster response is common in many countries. In Brazil, the armed forces have had history in providing health support to victims in emergencies, which also includes the provision of pharmaceutical services (PS).Problem:Even though being essential for the provision of health care in disaster response, the preparedness of PS is not well-addressed in the literature. The use of a comprehensive approach to evaluate preparedness of PS in military institutions may subsidize preparedness measures. The goals of this work were to analyze the preparedness of PS for disaster response and humanitarian aid in military units of a Brazilian armed force institution, and to propose a framework to improve the preparedness of PS in operational medicine.Methods:An investigation of a cross-sectional design was performed. A logic model and indicators to evaluate preparedness of PS were applied. Data were obtained from official documents, interviews with key stakeholders, and observation of good storage practices (GSP).Results:Identified were: lack of specific budget for medicine procurement in case of disaster, absence of emergency stockpile, proper means for medicine transportation, and records of trained health professionals. An emergency plan, a list of selected medicines, adaptable mobile health care units, and a system for mobilization of health professionals were some of the positive aspects recognized. Different aspects for improvement were acknowledged and recommendations to favor the efficiency and the quality of PS in emergencies were proposed.Conclusions:The investigation provided valuable results for the planning and execution of responses to disasters and humanitarian aid. The findings and proposed recommendations may be useful for other military organizations similar to those in Brazil.

Building a resilient health system for universal health coverage and health security: a systematic review

“…The key factors to facilitate early detection were the provision of rapid, cost-effective, sensitive, and specific diagnostic centers through the inauguration of national centers [ 53 , 56 ]. Identifying emergency medicines, adaptable mobile health care units and systems for mobilisation of health professionals contributed to successful interventions to curb health emergencies [ 57 ].…”

“…High patient load, lack of diagnostics, destruction of health facilities and lack of specific funds for medicine procurement may compromise the health system’s hardware (health facilities and supplies) and contained public health threats [ 3 , 30 , 32 , 57 ]. For instance, inadequate essential logistics such as blood, oxygen cylinders, ergometrine and sulphadoxine paramita mine in Ghana was the causes for low level of preparedness to control maternal mortality [ 58 ].…”

“…Poor infrastructure, absence of emergency stockpiles, inadequate logistics, and shortages of medical supplies can be potential obstacles to achieving UHC during health emergencies [ 30 , 35 , 57 , 58 ]. A strong public health infrastructure can help to ensure that healthcare resources are distributed equitably, based on need rather than ability to pay.…”