Cooperative Pharmaceutical Suppliers

 Village-level cooperative pharmacies in the department of Zinder, Niger: An ILO project

The methodology described below shows how access to primary pharmaceutical products may be improved, both in terms of price and location, through a mutual assistance scheme.

The cooperative character. Private pharmacies tend to belong to an individual or a group and their aim is dearly profit-making. By contrast, the creation of "cooperative pharmaceutical suppliers" ("depôts pharmaceutiques cooperatifs ") originates in a desire to ensure a regular, controlled supply and sale of medicines to villages. The social aspect of the service is emphasized, with the enterprise being given a cooperative character. Monetary gain is to ensure minimum maintenance of the service, i.e. management costs, equipment.

Different steps

• Village demands go directly to the project, which sends them to the Regional Health Department to obtain the initial authorization for a pharmaceutical supplier.

•  A study of feasibility looks at the allowing main elements:

- justification of the demand - whether the majority of villagers - not only the notables are interested and willing to participate;

- the possibility of women's participation from the start is seen as indispensable;

- local situation of the market for medicines;

- health situation of the population, including most prevalent diseases;

- size of the population;

- degree of "social cohesion's", including possible conflicts within the village that would hamper the development of a cooperative project;

- availability of educated people (both men and women) for the requisite management.

• Following a positive evaluation, a cooperation agreement is made between the project and the village. Using a participatory method, i.e. focus groups, a village workshop is organized to examine how to recruit interested members, the type of building, building modalities, financial contribution of the population; subvention of the project for the purchase of the initial stock of medicines; and the project's commitment in terms of technical support and training provision. The draft of the agreement reached by representatives of all parties involved is finally presented to the village in a plenary.

• Once the opening of a cooperative pharmaceutical supplier has been authorized, training courses start. These focus on the following main areas: information on the rules of the pharmaceutical supplier, for all members of the cooperative, with a particular emphasis on the participation of women, management and medical issues for the management committee; and information and management for the members of the control committee. This committee should be composed of men and women.

• Start of operations, signing of the agreement. The agreement mandates regular visits of the project team for follow-up and monitoring. These visits become progressively less frequent.

Source: Rapport final du projet participation des enterprises a caractère coopératif à la sécurité alimentaire villageoise et au développement local dons le départment de Zinder (septembre 1994 - juin 1999) ILO/NER/93/MO1 /NET), pp. 43-46.

Reader’s Kit on Gender, Poverty and Employment, MODULE 7.Extending Social Protection