E-drug: Community service for young pharmacists (cont'd)
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Young and properly trained pharmacist have the potentials of
improving allot of things especially where systems are not working the
way they should.
Very often, the problem is: At work stations they find non functions
systems and unethical practices, and they are forced to learn and
practice according to what they find. There is often the myth, that
they are inexperience, they have to learn and be supervise. But the
question is, Who supervises them? Are there mechanisms to ensue
that the supervisor is himself or herself good, does the young
pharmacist have a chance of criticizing or putting forward his ideas? In
most case no.
As a results, young pharmacist, tend to lose their good training and
professional ethics and learn something else, after they have to learn
the system and fit in and most important they have to survive.
However with a good supervisor and given the chance, young
pharmacist could have a positive impact in the pharmacy depleted
public sector. And actually remain in the system, It is not true that all
qualifying pharmacists want to go out and make more money in the
private sector, often they move away from public sector because of
other reasons. And many times, the private sector does not offer
much challenge except for the better package.
Pharmacy schools should improve their training curricula and better
prepare the young pharmacist. Some of the training programmes are
just too theoretical and not applicable in our African settings, and
especially not for working in the rural areas. First of all they won't
even know where to start. Pharmacist are not properly prepared,
although they are trained in Africa, the training programmes are ideal
for urban pharmacy practice, first world hospital or first world
pharmaceutical industry. The problems in our real public services
where pharmacist are needed should be identified, some of them are
already known, then the pharmacy students should be trained about
the problems to be expected and how to handle them. Community
pharmacy should be trained not as retail urban pharmacy, but as
pharmacist working in remote rural areas.
In addition competence alignment and personal development courses
should also be part of the training programmes, such course may also
have an impact in better preparing the pharmacist.
Some countries like Tanzania, I know they do require their young
pharmacist to work for the public sector for a minimum number of
years. The programme however is not successful. This is mainly
because young pharmacist are sent to very remote areas, where there
is often not much challenge for the young pharmacist, no drugs, no
structural pharmacy structure, organisation and administrative as well
as responsibilities are not well defined, living conditions are poor,
communication with their families is often impossible and since they
are far from the Ministry's head quite, opportunities such as further
training and promotion becomes rear. In addition the pay package is
usually very small.
As a results, young pharmacist tend to skip public services and join
the private sector which is mainly found in the cities and major towns.
M. Magagula
Quality Control Pharmacist
Swaziland
e-mail: magmu@realnet.co.sz
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