Key Summary
- Pharmacy students and early career pharmacists were made aware of the contributions that pharmacists make in humanitarian activities
- The PDA had raised millions of pounds through the ‘Medicines to Ukraine’ campaign, when Russia invaded Ukraine
- The PDA works with the International Pharmaceutical Federation to assist in wars and natural disasters around the world
- The latest addition to this campaign is ‘Medicines to Gaza’
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) recently held the first in a series of humanitarian events aimed to raise awareness of how pharmacists can be involved in humanitarian activities.
The trade union on June 14, hosted a ‘Pharmacists for Humanity’ event in Birmingham for pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and early career pharmacists to make them aware of the valuable contributions that pharmacists make in humanitarian activities and how they can get involved.
The PDA had, in 2022, raised millions of pounds through the ‘Medicines to Ukraine’ campaign when Russia invaded Ukraine.
This allowed pharmacist organisations to procure and deliver, through arrangements with charities, medicines to Ukraine.
In the same year, the PDA joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and began collaborating with colleagues worldwide to assist in wars and natural disasters.
The initiatives came to be known as ‘Medicines To…’ and FIP-affiliated organisations from across continents have now signed up to support the activity.
The latest addition to this campaign is ‘Medicines to Gaza’.
During the event, PDA chairman, Mark Koziol, spoke about his experience in assisting pharmacists working in Ukraine.
He shared how working collaboratively with other national pharmacy organisations is having a wider impact in demonstrating how pharmacists’ skills can be better utilised to respond to crises wherever they occur.
"We are committed to furthering the value and impact that pharmacists have in responding to crises wherever they occur and to supporting the dissemination of fundraising initiatives (‘Medicines To…’) to other countries," he said.
Jochen Schreeck, of Pharmacists Without Borders, spoke about the realities of a mission and working on the frontline as a pharmacist.
Osama Zein Al-Abdeen, Abdul Waheed, and Mehdi Chowdhury, of Salam Charity highlighted their organisation’s role in fundraising and turning this into action in the fight against poverty, responding to needs in crisis zones, including Lebanon and Gaza.
In his address, Osama Zein Al Abdeen lauded the enthusiasm shown by students and said, “Together, we can turn knowledge into action and compassion into lasting impact, starting with Gaza.”
