Currently patients that are attended at the EBAIS clinic in Cangrejal of Samara aren’t able to get prescribed medications immediately. They have to go to Nicoya to fill their prescriptions, incurring extra costs of transportation. But that will no longer be the case, as preparations are being made to open a pharmacy at the EBAIS in January of 2014.
The clinic’s doctor, Fulvio Paniagua Acuña, submitted a petition signed by local associations and members of the community to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), which administers the clinics, requesting pharmaceutical services, and the CCSS agreed to assign a pharmacist to the clinic staff on the condition that the community prepared a location for the pharmacy. Since the clinic is located in the maritime zone, CCSS is unable to invest in its infrastructure.
The community responded with volunteer labor and financial support from the Samara Progressive Association (APROSA), the development associations of Samara, Carrillo and Santo Domingo and the local ASADA water boards, and within just a couple of months of when the petition was made, the pharmacy is almost conditioned.
Paniagua said that they have remodeled a storage area that was not being used by knocking out a wall, opening up space, replacing the metal roof and drop ceiling, painting, installing electrical wiring, making a ramp and other necessary modifications required by the Ministry of Health.
“We’re now in the last stage of details,” Paniagua assured, noting that they still need a computer and printer, doors, paint and air conditioning, which is necessary to maintain the medications. They already have a refrigerator for storing medicines and vaccinations.
The doctor said he is happy to see how fast the project has progressed with the collaboration of the community and is confident that they will soon have a pharmacist on location.
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