As the world gets smaller, climate change, geopolitical tensions and natural disasters are leading to an ever-increasing number of humanitarian crises.

When whole populations are displaced the regular healthcare system is compromised, and this often leads to acute shortages of medicines.

On many occasions, the public decide to help by sending aid parcels, but this often results in large piles of boxes arriving which overwhelm the local agencies. Eventually they end up outdoors under sheeting or at the side of the road exposed to the weather. If medicines are sent in this way, it is difficult for them to be used to treat patients.

As pharmacists, we know how to handle the complex process of procurement and supply of medicines, but very often we take our expertise around medicines for granted.

Historically, handling medicines has given the humanitarian relief agencies and even international support efforts major problems. Often, this leads to the delivery of medicines that are not actually needed. These factors, combined with inappropriate transportation and storage systems mean that sometimes the medicines delivered end up having to be destroyed.

This is where we as a global pharmacy community can make a difference by joining in with a brand-new campaign called ‘Medicines To’. Run by pharmacists, this initiative was started by the PDA in the UK but is now being supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Pharmaceutical federation (FIP - a global pharmacy organisation with more than 150 countries in membership).

The campaign uses posters to appeal to members of the public. They are asked not to send boxes but to send money for medicines instead to the ‘Medicines To’ campaign, whereupon pharmacists take care of the arrangements efficiently and effectively. Small donations like this made in several countries by lots of members of the public, can add up quickly generating substantial funds. When this was done as part of a campaign in Europe to provide medicines to Ukraine more than four million euros was raised.

The ultimate objective of the ‘Medicines To’ campaign is to create a worldwide network of participating National Pharmacy Organisations.

Let us imagine a time in the future when governments and relief agencies across the world would be prepared to provide some of the funds needed because they knew that as far as delivering medicines to a humanitarian crisis is concerned, that is principally a job for the pharmacists.