Pharmacists urge members’ inclusion in nation’s healthcare management

The Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria, has called for the integration of its members into the nation’s hospitals management healthcare team.

The Association stated this In a statement signed by its National Deputy Chairman, Mr Elechi Oyim, which was made available to journalists in Abakaliki on Sunday, at the end of its 22nd Annual National Scientific Conference.

According to him, the conference, which had as theme, ‘Advancing Technological Revolution in Pharmaceutical Service Delivery,’ began with a health outreach programme.

Oyim noted that the conference also featured a keynote address delivered by Prof. Patrick Erah, a professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Benin, Edo state.

He said the Association’s members were yet to be integrated into management of health institutions in the country, adding it was part of resolutions reached at the conference, which aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

He said that the initiative has become the acceptable standard in pharmacy practice across the globe.

The statement read in part, “The Association reaffirms the indispensability concept of the pharmacist as an integral member of the healthcare team crucial to the delivery of quality healthcare to patients in Nigeria.

“It further submits that the integration of pharmacists into the patient management team in a collaborative practice with clinicians in some practice settings in Nigeria has reduced preventable adverse drug effects and saved the cost of healthcare to patients.

“The association therefore calls on health institutions yet to align their pharmacy practice to the aforementioned model to put machinery in motion to see to its actualisation as this has become standard practice of pharmacy across the world.”

He said that the communique, jointly endorsed by Dr Kingsley Amibor, immediate past chairman of the association and the secretary, Dr Hafiz Akande acknowledged global trends in evolution of pharmacy practice.

“This trends include provision of expert and specialised services such as pharmaceutical care, radiotherapy, effective medication therapy management and specialised pharmacotherapy for disease conditions,” he said.

He explained that the aforementioned, including pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reporting remained advanced and required expert and specialist skills to effectively drive their practice.

Edward Nnachi

Punch

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