
The Sidewalk Pill Peddlers of Port-Au-Prince - happy-go-lucky
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/07/15/537038311/photos-the-sidewalk-pill-peddlers-of-port-au-prince
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civilian
It seems like there needs to be a shorter/quicker program for pharmacists.
Fully trained pharmacists do have a lot of education invested in them, so of
course they can jump the island go somewhere else.

I feel like a small certification, like a 3 months of night classes, could
help a lot of problems with prescription mistakes. I mean, this is the kind of
simple drug knowledge that we all called our moms about when were in college.
"When should I take cough syrup..." "Why can't I take antibiotics for a cold?"

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phonon
If they did that, they wouldn't be selling expired and inappropriate
medication. So why would they? The sellers might also be illiterate...they are
selling by color/shape.

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civilian
What? They could still sell medication, it would just be the appropriate
medication!

As for expired--- expired medication are still good.

[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/expired-
medications...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/expired-medications-
drugs-potency-effective_n_1949481.html)
[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB954201508530067326](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB954201508530067326)

You are right that illiteracy might be a big factor though. "Haiti's literacy
rate of about 61%..."
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Haiti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Haiti)

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phonon
To reply un-cynically now--you're right. There's always a way to improve
things.

A MD/PhD friend of mine is working on a grant to develop a phone app for third
world medical treatment that will give simplified explanations of what drugs
should be prescribed for what conditions/symptoms, with pictures. Feel like
volunteering? :-)

