The difficulties of access by immigrants to the healthcare system and to pharmaceutical benefi ts (increased in illegal immigrants) are being corrected by the intermediation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that, together with the Council of Health in Andalusia, Spain, participate in the Agreement on Public Health for Immigrants, the objective of which is to improve the comprehensive healthcare provided to this population. Objective: To analyze the pharmaceutical care received by illegal immigrants and their degree of access to medication, as perceived by the staffs of the nongovernmental entities in the Campo de Gibraltar area that collaborate in the Agreement on Public Health for Immigrants. Method: Personal interviews with representatives of these organizations, carried out between October and December 2004. Results: The staffs of the NGOs that collaborate in providing aid to the immigrants in the Campo de Gibraltar area consider that these individuals pose problems in terms of their access to medicines and their use. They propose to promote the participation of the pharmacists to guarantee proper medical assistance to the immigrant population Discussion and Conclusions: To improve the pharmaceutical care of these individuals, it would be of interest to incorporate the collaboration of the pharmacists in the Agreement on Public Health for Immigrants, with the development of specific activities involving the community pharmacy, which is accessible to the entire immigrant population.

immigrants Health education Access to medicines Pharmacotherapeutic follow-up Rational use of medicines

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