Pharmacy curriculum has not been revised since long, Gap exists between pharmacy curriculum and industry requirements-Shahid Ghauri Al-Khidmat Foundation has prepared a robust training and development plan for
Pharmacists – Jamshed Ahmed
Medication Safety Conference by Al-Khidmat Foundation
KARACHI: Pharmacists are trained to identify medical errors and they play a vital role in medication safety. This was stated by Dr. Asim Rauf Chief Executive Officer of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). He was speaking at the Medication Safety conference organized by Al-Khidmat Foundation here on December 7th 2024. The meeting attracted a large number of pharmacists working in various healthcare facilities, from pharma trade and industry, pharmacy outlets besides regulatory bodies.
Mr. Latif Sheikh an eminent Pharmacist presenting Mementoes to Dr. Asim Rauf CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and Prof. Zahid Latif President of Al-Khidmat Foundation at the Medication Safety conference organized by Al-Khidmat Foundation at Karachi on Dec. 7th 2024.
Dr. Asif Rauf further stated that millions of medical errors take place all over the world annually with great cost. Unfortunately in Pakistan medical errors are not identified. Hospital do not record medical errors. He advised the pharmacists to train themselves, continuous professional development is a key. He also referred to the lack of regulations and opined that Pharmacovigilance should be linked with various hospitals. The number of sudden death cases has increased which needs to be investigated. Pharmacists must follow discipline and move forward. Neither doctors nor nurses can identify medical errors but pharmacists are trained to identify them. Hence it is time that pharmacists start playing their role in healthcare. It is a dream and we have to realize it, he remarked. Let it be the beginning and we must ensure that every pharmacy shop is manned by qualified well trained pharmacists, he added.
Syed Jamshed Ahmed, Director Al-Khidmat Pharmacy Services in his introductory remarks said that though pharmacists play a vital role in medication safety but they are not available or are not effective. No training is imparted to boost their confidence. In the past no such meeting was ever held where all stake holders are present. The regulators have now also joined this missing link. Al-Khidmat Foundation started with a pharmacy shop and now it has taken control of thirteen pharmacies which are being run and managed efficiently. He also disclosed that two pharmacies will be established in Lahore shortly while three community pharmacies will be established in Karachi with world’s best practices. It has centralized packing and warehouse facilities. Al-Khidmat Foundation now has a network of fifty six hospitals with a bed strength of one thousand nine hundred.
Mr. Latif Sheikh presenting Mementoe to Dr. Saqib Ansari and Mr. Mohammad Ali Majid from Nabi Qasim presenting Mementoe to Mr. Sohail Zindani at the Medication Safety conference organized by Al-Khidmat Foundation at Karachi
on December 7th 2024.
At all these hospitals pharmacists are available to review the prescriptions. Six hundred thirty consultants are working in this network and it serves over ten million patients. Fifty new pharmacies are planned with primary healthcare where facilities of laboratory investigations, consultation and drugs will be available. We have also prepared a robust training and development plan for pharmacists. We are working for engagement with regulatory authorities for enforcement. Eventually Al-Khidmat wish to plan and have one thousand such pharmacies where investigations, consultation and drugs are all available.
Prof. Zahid Latif President of Al-Khidmat Foundation in his presentation highlighted the contribution of Al Khidmat Healthcare Landscape of Pakistan. Our country, he said, spends just 38 US dollars per capita on healthcare. Pakistan he stated will make progress and go up as we have the human resource available. Sincerity, commitment and transparency are some of the values that we cherish.
Giving details of the Al Khidmat Foundation health network, he said it is now running 56 Hospitals, Fifty medical centers, sixty four pharmacies, thirty diabetes centers, twelve laboratories. Eighty five are maternal and child health related centers because we have high maternal and infant mortality. Standard of service is affordable, professional reliable and no patient is ever refused. We also organized one thousand one hundred forty four Medical Camps, have 15 Mobile Health Units serving in rural areas. We helped 192 Ghaza medical students who are now enrolled in Pakistan in various medical schools. He made a passionate plea that let us recognize our responsibilities in healthcare and contribute our share, he remarked.
Mr. Jamshed Ahmed
Director
Al-Khidmat Pharmacy Services
Dr. Saqib Ansari a noted hematologist speaking on the occasion said that let the pharmacists do right things and doctors will accept their views. He suggested clinical rotation for pharmacist which should be exam based. DRAP should ensure that the pharmacists do not get certificate unless they compelte their one year’s compulsory training just like doctors do house jobs. Pharmacists, he further stated, should be prepared to work at night duty. They must complete their house job with honorarium. Maintain self-respect should of the patients. Uplift the pharmacists to get recognition and all these important messages should go form this conference.
Umaimah Muzammil
Deputy Director
Al-Khidmat Pharmacy Services
Mr. Sohail Zindani motivational speaker and the well-known trainer in his typical presentation spoke on “Innovations is difficult (it is also easy)”. He was of the view that one should ask a questions that others do not. We do not encourage questioning. He suggested the audience to solve their complex problems. Learn the art of seeing what others do not. They should have the courage to see it. Think fresh. We cannot see. Joggar, he felt, was not innovation. Think and then dream. He emphasized the importance of critical thinking. Dreaming without thinking is dangerous and Innovations without empathy is stupidity, he remarked.
Panel Discussions
Mr. Shahid Ghauri Managing Director of SciLife Pharma participating in the panel discussion remarked that there exists a gap between Pharmacy curriculum and pharma industry requirements. The pharmacy curriculum has not been effectively reviewed, only the same it is said was introduced again and again with the passage of some time. Pharmacists have fifteen options and out of this eleven to twelve are in pharma industry. Pharmacists should be an engineer as well so that they can follow the WHO Guidelines. Pharmacists are eager to be trained which is a positive sign. They are eager to learn. It will enhance the image of pharmacists. Speaking about the evolution of pharma industry, he said, we have just five or six units which are WHO PIC qualified. Gap also exists between the university faculty and industry. Pharmacists, he opined, must work in hospital pharmacy for a year. They must work for some time in pharma industry. It is high time that we review the pharmacy curriculum.
Experts from the pharma industry Mr. Muzzafar Jafary. Dr. Kaiser Waheed Sheikh, Mr. Shahid Ghauri, Dr. Mahwish and Mr. Hamid Zafar participating in the panel discussion during the Medication Safety conference organized by Al-Khidmat Foundation at Karachi on December 7th 2024. On extreme left Mr. Yasir Hashmi is moderating the session.
He also suggested frequent exposure of industry people as visiting faculty in pharmacy schools. Pharmacists should select three segments out of twelve to fifteen segments and build their future career in those. One hundred fifty pharmacists came for training in our factory and now many of them are working in our plant, he stated.
Dr. Kaiser Waheed Sheikh from Medisure Pharma addressing the participants referred to availability of drugs and said some were not available. Similar names of the drugs create problems. We have not yet recognized the role and importance of pharmacists. Doctors should be prepared to listen and learn. Lady Doctors do not work after getting married. Only ten to twelve percent remain in profession. A large number of pharmacists are being produced and he wondered where they are going. Industry can absorb just two to three percent of pharmacists being produced, he stated.
Eminent pharmacists Mr. Shamim Raza, Jibran Bin Yousuf, Haris Aziz Siddiqui, Sumaira Khan, Masood Ahmed Khan, Arif Ali Arian and others participating in the panel discussion during the Medication Safety conference held recently. This session was moderated by Zaad Hashmi.
Dr. Mahwish from Ophth Pharma remarked that those female pharmacists who work should be empowered. They are not empowered at present though they have lot of talent.
Mr. Muzzafar Jafary stated that we should encourage girls. Pharma industry absorbs lot of female pharmacists. There is great potential in pharma industry to absorb the female pharmacists. Nothing will happen as long as there is disconnect between research and industry. For basic manufacturing, we must not look at local but outside market as well. Research is expensive. He also supported the suggestion regarding revising the pharmacy curriculum.
Mr. Hamid Zafar said Pharmacists are custodian of patient safety. They work in many areas like Product development, availability, transportation of drugs environment, drug safety data, and validation of data and so on. HCV and DM patients will immensely benefit from standards.
Participants in the next panel discussion included Syed Shamim Raza, Haris Aziz Siddiqui, Sumaira Khan Jibran bin Yousuf, Masood Ahmad Khan and Arif Ali Arian. Mr. Shamim Raza stated that we should not hide errors. ADRs are not reported. Those responsible are punished. It will take time to develop culture of medical error reporting. He also suggested regular meetings of committee on medical errors and ADR. Pharmacovigilance should be there. Jibran Bin Yousuf pointed out that we must encourage ADR and Medical Error reporting. If need be drugs which are not safe should be destroyed. Efficacy of drugs made by MNCs and local companies also figured in the discussion as pharmacists face problems in maintaining standard of hospital pharmacy. It was also suggested that there was a need to improve coordination. Pharmacists must help each other and they should understand the role and responsibility of pharmacists.
Mr. Mansoor Khan from PharmEvo, Mr. Akhtar Ahmed from Atco alongwith some other panelists participating in the discussion on Medication Safety organized by Al-Khidmat Foundation on December 7th 2024.
Ms. Sumaira Khan opined that we must make efforts for Continuous Professional Development of pharmacists. Improve communication between hospitals. It was also stated that let us not ignore those who are at present working at pharmacy shops but train them. People are afraid of reporting ADRs. We can start incentives to report medical errors. Pharmacovigilance system should be available with pharmacists.
Mr. Akhtar Ahmed from Atco Laboratories was of the view that we need to give importance to patient education. How to define ADR and Medical Errors both are different. Patient education should be organized. Pharma industry provide funding and sponsor the conference but it is the professional specialty organizations who prepare the scientific program. They need to include patient education in the programmes.
A number of other experts were also scheduled to speak in the panel discussions which followed.
