MEPS Annual Report 2011-2012

The aim of the Section is to establish close co-operation between military pharmaceutical services and other organisations that provide pharmaceutical services in a humanitarian aid or emergency relief situation. The members have as their mission the study of problems relating to the provision of these services in a difficult environment on an international basis and to co-ordinate pharmaceutical services in general. For its size MEPS is an active section, with quarterly newsletters, email correspondence and updates, diverse activities at the annual Congress and participation in two significant special projects.

 Highlights

  • The Section held a successful Congress in Hyderabad, despite significant difficulties. Many members were prevented from attending because of the location of the Congress which resulted in visa problems for military personnel and permission refusals from Command structures. This resulted in 5 presenters being unable to attend.

  • MEPS ran two sessions, which included a successful workshop on the use of the new pictogram program. The missing presenters were replaced by the use of video, substitutes and discussions. The end result was a large amount of audience participation and collaboration.

  • MEPS has established two working groups within the emergency pharmacy role. One is to look at the larger picture of emergency management guidelines with a view to recommending a BPP working group be established. The other is to concentrate on pharmacologistics management in the emergency context.

  • To facilitate the working groups labour, MEPS has requested a separate discussion site within the FIP members’ website. This has highlighted some technical difficulties which FIP staff are working to resolve.

  • The Pictogram project continues to advance the standard of practice in the MEPS environment and now has significant active involvement from FIP staff.

  • A guideline document has been written by a special project group about the use of evidence based medicine in selection of product for the emergency environment.

  • Members represented MEPS at other congresses: Dawson, Kobayashi were speakers at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences,2011, Pharmacist International Symposium,01.Oct , Kobe Japan on recent emergency responses. Chen spoke at Hospital Pharmacy Committee of Chinese Pharmaceutical Association (CPA- Satellite Forum of the 71st International Congress of FIP) in Beijing China.