# \[e-drug\] Pharmacists in Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [July 5, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacists-in-africa/25781 "2006-07-05T13:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![b.futter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@b.futter](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/b.futter)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacists-in-africa/25781/1 "2006-07-05T13:05:19Z")
E-DRUG: Pharmacists in Africa ---------------------------- [Crossposted from Afro-nets] A recent report indicated that the US would be short of 120 000 pharmacists by 2020! That is just 14 years away - a very short time to make a significant dent in the shortfall! But what is a pharmacist? Someone with 3, 4, 6 or longer years of training? Can we in Africa afford to train the Pharm D pharmacists that are now the norm in the US? In Africa we are already seriously short of skilled pharmacy personnel. How bad is this shortage now and how much worse is it going to become? As I see it, that will depend on: 1. The tasks that need to be performed, 2. The level of competence required in order to perform those tasks, 3. The allocation of responsibility for those tasks between pharmacy technicians/ assistants, pharmacists and other trained health personnel, 4. The capacity of the training institutions in each country and the region. 5. The ability to recruit students who have the required entry level competencies and the commitment to serve the health needs of their country 6. The ability of each country to retain trained personnel within the country/ health system I am interested to find out which of these challenges pose a serious problem in African countries, or whether there are other serious challenges. I am also particularly keen to find out about any initiatives that have taken place to address these challenges. Although I am keen to see discussion taking place about these issues, if anyone would like to send me their thoughts directly please feel free to do so (b.futter@ru.ac.za) cheers, Billy Billy Futter Associate Professor Faculty of Pharmacy Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa email B.Futter@ru.ac.za phone 046 603 8494 fax 046 636 1205 ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Manning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e36b37/32.png) [@Rollo\_Manning](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Rollo_Manning)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacists-in-africa/25781/2 "2006-07-05T21:09:51Z")
E-DRUG: Pharmacists in Africa (2) --------------------------------- Hi Billy (and e-drug listers) I was interested in the questions posed and would like to make a general point. This is a discussion that must be had because we in the First World operate under a different set of needs and values to the Third World. Well done Billy for bringing it forward. When we talk about pharmacists in the developed First World we refer to people who have a degree from a university and have met the requirements for obtaining registration under the relevant legislation that then allows the registered pharmacist to meet the statutory obligations required by law to be done by such a person. For example - opening a retail shop from which medicines are sold and checking that the right label is on a pack of doctor prescribed medicine for the right patient. There are more requirements but these are not enshrined in legislation but rather in professional codes of conduct. The need for a pharmacist is thus related to the legal obligations of such a person. In my work with Third World Australia ( remote Aboriginal communities) I often wonder why we get so obsessed with the need for a registered pharmacist when what we really want is a person with the knowledge and ability to act in a way that improves the quality use of medicine. We should not rule out the fact that there are many nurses, medical scientists and others with the basic understanding and knowledge to do the things that are really needed and may be more committed than a "registered pharmacist" with no previous experience in remote health. In Africa - look at the legislation that governs the practice of pharmacy, single out the activities that by law require a pharmacist and then decide the qualifications needed to fill the balance of the requirements for improving quality. Remember that a medicine is just a bottle of chemicals and until information is added and there are many people who can add the information that may not be registered pharmacists. What do you think? Are we too hung up on what a pharmacist is in the developed world to deny the people of the Third World quality obtained by other than a registered pharmacist? What about the idea of specific training for the skills and knowledge needed rather than following the developed world tradition? Don't let the shortage of pharmacists in America put you off finding the best person for the job at hand. There will be people wanting to do a "pharmacists job" without necessarily being registered. Cheers Rollo Manning Darwin NT Australia rollom@iinet.net.au ---
**Author:** ![Robert\_Nyarango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Robert\_Nyarango](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Robert_Nyarango)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacists-in-africa/25781/3 "2006-07-06T05:23:02Z")
E-DRUG: Pharmacists in Africa (3) --------------------------------- I think Rollo Manning's definition of the professional role of a pharmacist's is very narrow. It is more than reading a prescription and fixing a level. In Kenya for example pharmacists have become an integral part of healthcare provision both in the provision of the pharmaceutical and clinical pharmacy services. The pharmacist's role in the developed countries is widely different than that of one in the developing countries. There are disparities in technology and legislative frameworks that govern pharmacy practice and differences in the scope of services given. The cope for hospital practice in Australia and New Zealand for example may be quite advanced compared to the developing countries. But to go back to Billy's point, it is not a question of whether the brand drain of pharmacist to the developed countries will take place. This has already started and pharmacists especially in Africa and Asia will find a way fitting in. You may not stop movement in the liberalized labour market. The question is, what is the third world especially Africa planning to do at the policy and training level? What is the strategy to retain pharmacists but at the same time produce international recognizable pharmacists? Robert Nyarango Chief Pharmacist Gertrude's Children's Hospital, Nairobi \*+254 (0)20 376 34 74/5/6 Ext. 238     +254 (0)722 898948/ (0) 733 639444/ (0)722325211 \*+254 (0)20 376 32 81 \* rnyarango@gerties.org \ ---
**Author:** ![Gamal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e36b37/32.png) [@Gamal](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Gamal)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 9:54am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-pharmacists-in-africa/25781/4 "2006-07-06T09:54:16Z")
E-DRUG: Pharmacists in Africa (4) -------------------------------- A recent report of Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan has revealed that    the number of pharmacists and pharmacy schools rapidly increased in    the recent years. According to the report, the number of registered    pharmacists increased from 1,500 in the early 1990s to more than 3,500    by the end of 2005 and the number of schools of pharmacy increased    from one at the begining of the last decade to 11 schools. The problem    in Sudamn is : pharmacists internal migration from public sector to    the private one.    I have recently published an article addressing issues of pharmacy    human resources in Sudan in the World Health & Population, below is    the abstract:    A Prescription for Improvement: A Short Survey to Identify Reasons    behind Public Sector Pharmacists' Migration    In Sudan, there is a mismatch between the numbers of pharmacists and    where they worked, and the demand for pharmacy services. The public    sector, where the majority of the population is served, suffered    heavily from the pharmacists' migration to the private sector. In    order to stem the "brain drain" of pharmacists, it is, however,    necessary to have accurate and evidence-based information regarding    the reasons that make the pharmacists emigrate to the private sector.    Yours sincerely    Gamal Khalafalla Mohamed Ali    Tel.+4479 40 25 69 42    College of Business,Law and Social Sciences    The Nottingham Trent University    Burton Street    Nottingham NG1 4BU    United Kingdom   gamalkh@hotmail.com