E-drug: Public Health Pharmacy in Africa (10)
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[Could interested e-druggers now respond on this topic directly to Robert at chana_robert@yahoo.co.uk. He can then summarise any relevant examples or evidence and share it with the forum. This topic is now closed. - DB]
Dear E-druggers,
I am very happy for all the contributions that have come up so far to this important discussion. Understanding that pharmacists contribute to the health of the public generally and all over Africa is very good to me. However, my intention in raising this debate was to understand the various roles pharmacists play as public health professionals, challenges pharmacists face in their current responsibilities and how they overcome/cope with these challenges. Furthermore, I wanted to know about documentation that exists on successes of pharmacists in pharmaceutical public health. The current debate does not actually go to these issues I am afraid.
From the debate, pharmacists have different views of pharmaceutical public health. One cautionary note I may like to sound is that undergraduate pharmacy programmes range from 4 to 6 years and even when students are taught for six years, some still study for a Master of Public Health degree. Even though Lloyd and others have raised important issues such as pharmacovigilance, supply chain management, and rational medicines use, the majority of these programmatic issues have been managed at operational levels by community pharmacist often in an individualised mode of delivery.
In public sectors, most of the issues raised are operational with the aid of donor funds. How can we then put together all the activities of the pharmacists as evidence to support greater and official pharmacist involvement in public health pharmacy. Evidence informs that public health pharmacy in UK evolved with a lot of government support. In Africa, do we have such an enabling environment? Only evidence can provide this for us. The community pharmacist is in the heart of the community and can help build up or destroy the image of the profession. I would therefore like us to rethink the direction of these debate and move it on in this manner.
Robert Chapchet Chana
B.Pharm, MPH
Pharmacist, Cameroon