[indices] Community-based drug information helpline services

["edwin oguegbulu" <eddyoguegbulu@yahoo.com>]

Dear Sir,

I am a Nigerian Pharmacist also in academics with research in
medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry.
I have considered that initiating drug information programme in my community and beyond would constitute a good synergy to my NGO effort and this will be targetted to;
   - Health professionals &
   - Consumers /Patients within my catchment.

I acknowledge that the initial sets of enquiries will focus much on:-
  - Side effects
  - availability
  - cost of medicines
  - drug dosage regimen
  - drug choice
  - drug interactions
  - drug use during pregnacy,lactation,in children & in elderly
  - drug use in hepatic and renal compromised patients
It will be expected that at the end of certain period all the queries from the database will be pulled and serve as a resource material for our
bulletin/periodicals

We have enough office space for now and the resource persons ever ready.However our challenges/constraints hinge on the following:
 1.Inadequate national electricity supply system which implies working often with  standby generating sets.
 2.Maintenance of the dedicated telephone lines.
 3.Funds to pay stipends to the resource persons and printing matters.
 4.Training of resource persons/Trainers
 5.Other resource materials such as hardwares, softwares,journals, books etc.
I shall be delighted to learn the kind of support which can be obtained from your end towards achieving this end.

Thanks.
Eddy 


[Note from moderator]: I'm sure these challenges are similar to those faced by a number of persons working in drug information particularly in developing countries. Perhaps some of you could relate your experiences in overcoming these, and perhaps provide Eddy with avenues for sources of funding? Carolyn Rochat