Pharmacy
The pharmacy on board the ship is a vital part of all services provided by Health Care Services. A detailed inventory is kept of all the drugs on hand.  Drugs are procured from a formulary "needs list" for each outreach.  Many drugs are donated from drug companies, pharmacies and doctor's offices in at least 10 countries around the world. Immediately before outreach, the drugs that are still needed, are ordered and bought from a wholesale drug company. Because drugs come from so many different countries, the generic names and instructions are often in different languages.  For this reason, It is important for nurses and doctors to check and double check that the drug they are giving is indeed the drug that is ordered.
	The pharmacists stocks the Operating Rooms, Recovery Room, Ward and crash trolleys with necessary medications and IV fluids on a regular basis during outreach.  He/she fills prescriptions for crew from the Crew Clinic for a cost of $2.00 (US) for each prescription and dispenses free non-prescription drugs to crew throughout the year.
The pharmacist also serves as a consultant for questions about drug indications, actions, side effects and compatibilities.
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