Improving Pharmacy Services for Stronger Health Systems and Better Health Outcomes

Effective pharmacy services improve patient outcomes and satisfaction by ensuring that life-saving products are available and providing care that helps patients use products safely and appropriately. Pharmacy services include all medical product related services at public and private hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, private retail outlets, and other points of health service that support the delivery of patient care and treatment, including the provision of pharmaceutical care to help prevent or resolve medicine use problems and optimize treatment outcomes.

As USAID’s primary central mechanism for strengthening pharmacy services at public and private hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and other medicine outlets, MTaPS assists countries to:

• Improve pharmacy practices, including the dispensing and supply of medical products to individuals and the provision of related information and counseling (World Health Organization (WHO). The Role of the Pharmacist in the Health Care System. Geneva: WHO; 1994)
• Implement interventions that optimize medicine use; promote product safety; and support antimicrobial stewardship, health promotion, and disease prevention programs
• Strengthen processes and capacity to improve the supply and control of medical products at service delivery points and protect patients from poor-quality medicines
• Improve the regulation, organization, financing, and management of pharmacy services; reform education and training of pharmacy service providers; and conduct practice research