Abstract:
The movement to deliver cancer care in resource-limited settings is gaining momentum, with particular emphasis on the
creation of cost-effective, rational algorithms utilizing affordable chemotherapeutics to treat curable disease. The delivery
of cancer care in resource-replete settings is a concerted effort by a team of multidisciplinary care providers. The oncology
pharmacy, which is now considered integral to cancer care in resourced medical practice, developed over the last several
decades in an effort to limit healthcare provider exposure to workplace hazards and to limit risk to patients. In developing
cancer care services in resource-constrained settings, creation of oncology pharmacies can help to both mitigate the risks
to practitioners and patients, and also limit the costs of cancer care and the environmental impact of chemotherapeutics.
This article describes the experience and lessons learned in establishing a chemotherapy pharmacy in western Kenya.
