[Hospital pharmacy: partner in the health care team]

The hospital pharmacy is responsible for providing each patient with the required drug treatment. This goal can be fulfilled by constant adaptation of the pharmaceutical services to the needs of the medical and nursing staff, hospital administration and other technical services. The goals and the functional relationship between the different activities of a hospital pharmacy are reviewed. The specific organisation of the Sierre-Loèche hospital pharmacy is presented. Centralisation of some services of the district hospital pharmacy within the central pharmacy of the "Institut Central des Hôpitaux Valaisans" provides the hospital with the required services. Pharmaceutical counseling based on a regular activity of the pharmacist within the health care team is a prerequisite to adapt organisation and services to the requirements of the clinical situation.