World Pharmacists Day: Pharmacists seek recognition as frontline healthcare providers

By Chioma Obinna

As Nigeria continues to grapple with constricted entree to affordable healthcare, pharmacists are calling for ceremonial designation arsenic frontline healthcare providers. This year’s World Pharmacists Day, themed “Think Health, Think Pharmacy,” is being utilized to item the evolving and progressively captious relation of pharmacists successful healthcare delivery.

Across the country, pharmacists are becoming the archetypal constituent of interaction for galore patients seeking care. Unlike different professionals successful the wellness sector, they connection consultations astatine nary cost, supply instant medicine counseling, and are often accessible beyond modular objective hours. According to wellness stakeholders, this accessibility positions pharmacists arsenic an untapped plus successful the country’s overstretched wellness system.

In a associated property connection to people the day, Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh, National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), and Pharm. Omokhafe Ashore, National Secretary, said the relation of pharmacists has importantly expanded and indispensable beryllium formally acknowledged successful nationalist healthcare policy.

“Pharmacists contiguous are not constricted to dispensing drugs. They are nationalist wellness educators, chronic illness managers, wellness argumentation contributors, and advocates for medicine safety,” the connection noted. “They enactment patients successful managing conditions similar hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, portion besides playing a captious relation successful illness prevention, wellness screenings, and immunisation campaigns.”

To institutionalise these contributions, the ACPN has launched a transformative inaugural titled: “Pharmacy Forward: Performance, Collaboration, and Health Transformation.” The inaugural introduces a structured, five-tier vocation progression exemplary from Community Pharmacist to Consultant Pharmacist, designed to professionalise and standardise pharmacy signifier successful Nigeria.

According to the ACPN, the model aims to thrust continuous nonrecreational development, amended work quality, clasp skilled talent, and make benchmarks for excellence crossed the pharmacy profession. The exemplary besides reflects planetary champion practices and responds to Nigeria’s urgent healthcare needs.

With the emergence of integer health, pharmacists are besides expanding their scope done telepharmacy services, particularly successful underserved and distant areas. These see virtual consultations, distant medicine adherence support, and diligent counseling, further enhancing entree to care.

Pharmacists are arsenic progressive successful nationalist wellness advocacy, argumentation engagement, and assemblage outreach. Many lend to wellness research, propulsion for rational cause use, and assistance combat the misuse of antibiotics and controlled substances. Yet, the ACPN maintains that contempt these captious contributions, pharmacists stay underutilized and underrepresented successful nationalist wellness policymaking.

The relation is urging the Nigerian authorities to formally integrate pharmacists into the superior healthcare model and enactment their inclusion successful nationalist wellness betterment strategies. Doing so, they argue, volition amended wellness outcomes, easiness the load connected hospitals, and beforehand the country’s propulsion toward cosmopolitan wellness coverage. “As we people World Pharmacists Day, we reaffirm that the aboriginal of healthcare indispensable see pharmacy astatine its core. When you deliberation of health, deliberation pharmacy—because down each steadfast assemblage is simply a pharmacist delivering expert, accessible, and affordable care,” Pharm Ezeh said.

The station World Pharmacists Day: Pharmacists question designation arsenic frontline healthcare providers appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.