An example of pharmacy education and research for the Brazilian health care system

Here it is described a partnership between the School of Pharmacy from Federal University of Santa Catarina and the local public health services in co-managing a pharmacy with the aim of improving service, training undergraduates and developing research towards strengthening the Brazilian Health Care System (called "Single Health System" or just SUS). The partnership was established in 2008 and it is supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA).The pharmacy has two sections. The first section is for dispensing essential medicines for primary health care. It integrates the government primary-care network and serves about 600 persons monthly, most of them residents of the nearby quarters. The second section is for dispensing expensive medicines for treating rare and/or chronic diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, refractory epilepsy, refractory schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Gauchet’s, Crohn’s diseases, etc. These medicines must be prescribed accordingly clinical protocols edited by Ministry of Health. This section serves almost 4.000 patients monthly from the whole city. All medicines were selected and are sponsored by the three levels of government. Pharmacists from the local health services and from the University work together and side by side with 25 undergraduates and two postgraduates. Researches on pharmaceutical care and pharmaeconomic aspects of the dispensed treatments are also running. Additionally, to improve service and the comprehension of the linkage between these services and the whole health system, meetings, seminars and workshops have been developed. All activities are supervised by Professors. The experience is enhancing teaching, learning, researching, managing and health care. Hence its model is being showed for others schools of pharmacy in Brazil.