The Path of Pills

When we are doing the bush clinics, one of the big yellow buses becomes the pharmacy, or Pills on Wheels as it is affectionately known. Here is how it works.


The patient turns in a prescription at the front door of the bus. A pharmacy worker places the prescription in a blue bowl. Liz McClellan is shown here at her post.



Next, another worker takes the blue bowl down the aisle of the bus, stopping to select the medications out of red trunks placed on the seats. Sara had this job during the medical mission.


Then the prescription goes out the back of the bus to one of the Zambian nurses or pharmacists. The patient is called over and is given the prescription along with instructions on how to take or use the drug.

It's an efficient system that works very well. The bus keeps the wind and dust out of the pharmacy, and using the bus frees up other rooms for the medical and dental teams.

I don't have a good photo of Star Ferguson, but no description of the pharmacy is complete without mentioning her. Star works year round to collect, organize, and run the ZMM pharmacy. Her tireless and enthusiastic efforts have relieved the suffering of tens of thousands of Zambians. She's one of my heroes.