Global Brigades Pharmacy is a vital component of Global Brigades’ healthcare services in Ghana. Established in response to the urgent medical needs that arose during the COVID-19 outbreak, it was initially created to support the continuity of healthcare provided during Medical Brigades before the pandemic. The pharmacy now plays a lead role in ensuring long-term access to essential medications for underserved communities in areas of the Central, Northern, and the Savannah Regions.
The pharmacy bridges a gap in consistent access to medications before and after mobile clinics. While Medical Brigades provide crucial diagnostics and treatment, the absence of a sustainable and affordable source of medications left communities vulnerable once the teams left. Global Brigades Pharmacy addresses this gap by supplying essential medications to community members all year-round at significantly reduced prices. This removes the financial barriers to treatment for low-income families
Global Brigades Pharmacy organizes annual healthcare outreach to community members in Mankessim and its surrounding communities, offering free screenings, consultations, and medication while volunteers are not in-country. This continuity of healthcare helps manage chronic conditions, reduce the recurrence of preventable illnesses, and build trust between Global Brigades and the community members.
The establishment of the pharmacy represents a shift towards a more sustainable and proactive model. It complements other Global Brigades initiatives, including Public Health, Water and Sanitation, and Business Consulting programs, which are run across the districts in Ghana where we have community partners.
Currently, the pharmacy is the only pharmacy in its operational area with the accreditation to offer medication to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) clients who are referred by health facilities to procure one medication or another. This is a significant improvement to those hundreds of patients on the NHIS, who lacked access to not only doctors but also medication.
This initiative supports the strategy of enrolling community members in the NHIS while on Brigade to ensure they can receive broader attention in case they need a specialist that is not available on Brigades.
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