First find out what is already available locally in terms of human resources, publications and offices. It may be possible to make use of these with little or no expense.

Valuable sources of information include other bulletins, local or national drug formularies, standard treatment guidelines or protocols, selected medical and pharmaceutical journals and books. It may be worth developing links with universities, medical and pharmaceutical associations, research centres, libraries, consumer organizations, government departments and non-governmental organizations, depending on their degree of independence and reliability. Duplication of expensive resources should be avoided, particularly in developing countries.

You may want to get to know the people who are in charge of these different organizations and seek their cooperation. They could help you with their experience and materials and may also provide some financial support. Try to explore areas that could be of mutual interest and strive for cooperation instead of seeking competition with others in the same field (see Chapter 13). Being linked with established organizations, such as teaching institutions, hospitals or drug information centres, when they have credibility, can be an advantage for bulletins in terms of human, financial, material and administrative resources. Such links can also provide moral support from ideological allies.