E-drug: Pharmacy Profession in Kenya (cont)
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Dear e-druggers,
I would like to respond to Professor Kibwage's message about the
profession of pharmacy in Kenya.
While it is true that the current law limits the practice of the
profession to a bachelor of pharmacy degree graduate from the
University of Nairobi or equivalent from a recognized institution,
the other cadre of pharmacy care providers are Pharmaceutical
Technologists. They do not undergo a one-year taught course and a
year of practical training. The correct position is that these cadre,
who have
for long been relied on by the Government of Kenya and even the private
sector, undergo an intensive three year training on a competency based
curriculum. Their grading system follows the GPA system. They were
never required by the Kenyan law to work under the supervision of a
pharmacist. This does not mean that they are also pharmacists but it
has long been recognized here that they are competent to dispense and
compound independently.
The law in Kenya has been recognized as being flowed by the
professional fraternity and one of the contentious issues has been the
issue of the regulation of the professional practice of this cadre. The
stakeholders have agreed that they be allowed to practice at their own
level. It has been very difficult to establish this level because once
all the professional fraternity are in agreement that Pharmaceutical
Technologists are competent at dispensing and compounding, how are they
to be differentiated from the pharmacists?
An idea was floated that they be registered and licensed independently
under an independent law, as is the trend in Kenya. Many paramedical
personnel have had their practice regulated independently. Pharmacy
could not be handled in the same way due to the sensitive nature of the
profession.
In Kenya today there is no doubt about the competency of this cadre as
practitioners in pharmacy. The rural folk have never known a pharmacist
and their �DAKTARI WA DAWA � (Read pharmacist) has always been the
pharmaceutical Technologist.
It is not the Pharm. Tech. who are causing the change in law. This is a
national concern. Even the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya does not
ordinarily object to this. The only concern is how to accept them as
partners in health care delivery. In fact the regulatory body, the
Pharmacy and Poisons Board is keen to see that this cadre is defined in
law. The position of the technologists is not as professor puts it.
They do not object to being licensed to practice as Pharmaceutical
Technologists. They actually want to be registered as so.
I also would like to know if there is anywhere in the world where
technicians are regulated by law. I am particularly interested in the
situation in Jamaica and India. The history of the Diploma holder in
Great Britain would be of interest too.
Thank You.
Kassim Mohamed Adan
Pharmaceutical Technologist-Kenya.
Nairobi.
Kassim M. Adan <kassim@suncom.africaonline.com>
Beverley Snell
International Health Unit, Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research
P O Box 254 Fairfield Vic Australia 3078
Telephone 613 9282 2115 / 9282 2275
Fax 613 9482 3123
Time zone: 10 hours ahead of GMT.
email <bev@burnet.edu.au>
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