World Pharmacists Day: Contributing to advancing pharmacies in Ghana and other African countries

Today PharmAccess Group is joining the rest of the world in celebrating World Pharmacists Day. Initiated by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), September 25th has been set aside to promote and advocate for the role of pharmacists in improving health all over the world.The theme of this year’s Word Pharmacist Day is “Pharmacist: your partner in Health”.

Worldwide, more than three million pharmacists and other pharmaceutical personnel act as partners to patients, other healthcare professionals and scientists on a daily basis. For patients with health inquiries, pharmacists are often the first point-of-contact, and thus have a significant role in assessing medication management in patients. Throughout the whole supply chain, pharmacists contribute to practicing effective and responsible medicine through effective drug management, and instructing and counseling on the proper use and adverse effects of drugs and medicines.

In low-resource settings, pharmacists and pharmacy business owners often face a lot of challenges that can compromise the productivity of their business and the quality of their service. Major challenges encompass lack of reliable supply of quality medicines, currency fluctuations and rising prices of imported drugs, shortage of qualified personnel, and limited access to working capital.

Pfizer Fellows in Ghana

PharmAccess seeks to address these challenges through the Pharmacy Improvement Program, which was developed through PharmAccess’ partnership with the Pfizer Global Health Fellows Program (GHF). The Pharmacy Improvement Program aims at enhancing pharmacy management by combining access to finance through local banks with training and technical assistance. Through the GHF program, Pfizer colleagues with expertise in quality and supply chain management have volunteered their skills with PharmAccess to develop the tools and standards needed to improve pharmacy business operations in low-resource settings. Recently,two Pfizer Global Health Fellows served in Ghana for four months in support of the Pharmacy Improvement Program.

The Fellows presented the results of their work in the PharmAccess Amsterdam office on August 31^st. The following brief highlights their work:Technology for Performance Enhancement: Tools for better pharmacy management.