About Me

We are the student pharmacists, pharmacists, and staff selected to participate in the yearly International Dominica Pharmacy Rotation offered. We hope you enjoy reading and sharing our adventures. If you are interested in learning more - contact us at abronsdominicarotation@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Reflections on our First Day of Clinic

99%. That is the percentage of Dominicans that are immunized. The United States does not even rate that high.Why, what is the difference between Dominica and the United States?
Is it the smaller population? Probably.
Could it the tireless devotion of the health care practitioners? Maybe.
The most likely answer is the relationship between the health care practitioners and the population. There is a mutual trust. The patient trusts that the health care practitioner will heal; while the health care practitioner trusts the patient will take their medication.

Our group saw that today at the Petite Savanna clinic. The clinic, which is nothing more than 7 pews, an examination room, small pharmacy, and nurse quarters, began the first step of the 3 part process of vaccinating over 25 patients against hepatitis B. We, the student pharmacists and Dr. Abrons, helped by drawing up doses of the vaccine and by giving the patients valuable information in regards to tropical diseases, nutrition, arthritis, pain, diabetes, and dental care.

It was beautiful. Healing took place. Not in the ideology of treating the disease, but in prevention of disease. Although this seems counter-intuitive, especially in a world where disease treatment, not prevention or cure, equals revenue, it is where pharmacists are needed the most, in the barely known territory of public health.

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