Pharmacists’ practices and challenges regarding Continuing Professional Development in Mpumalanga province, South Africa

Introduction: The study aimed to assess the extent to which pharmacists in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, voluntarily participated in recording their CPD activities on the CPD online recording system of the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), and to identify associated challenges. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive study was conducted. Data were collected using Survey Monkey from 578 registered pharmacists over a four month period. Responses were exported to Microsoft Excel and analysed using SPSS version 25. Results: The response rate was 25.4%. Most pharmacists (87%) agreed that CPD was necessary. While 64% participated in CPD activities, only 24.8% recorded these activities voluntarily. Challenges faced with participating in recording activities included recording of CPDs is currently not mandatory (27.3%), lack of information (27.3%), lack of interest (27.3%), time constraints (39.1%) and system/programme issues (26.1%) were also cited as reasons for not recording CPD activities. Conclusion: Improving the ease of accessing the SAPC system (83.7%) was suggested as a way to improve participation in CPD activities and subsequent recording online.

Stakeholders’ perspectives on training over the counter medicine sellers and Community-based Health Planning and Services facilities to dispense antibiotics in Ghana

Background Dispensing of antibiotics by over the counter medicine sellers (OTCMS) is a major driver of inappropriate use and resistance in low and middle income countries. Recent studies in Ghana revealed the need to consider training OTCMS and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS)/health posts to dispense some antibiotics. Feasibility of training OTCMS and CHPS to dispense some antibiotics was explored in this study. Methods This was an explorative study involving 10 in-depth interviews (IDIs) among staff of Ghana health services (GHS), pharmacy council and the association of OTCMS at the district and regional levels. Next, findings were presented to the Ghana Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) platform for further discussions at the national level. Five IDIs were also performed among selected members of the AMR platform as a follow-up on emerging issues. Data were thematically analysed and presented as narratives with quotes to support the findings. Results Two opposing views were found in our study. Leadership of OTCMS and GHS staff at the district health directorate supported the suggestion that OTCMS and CHPS should be trained to dispense specific antibiotics because they are already dispensing them. The leadership of OTCMS explained that some of their members are experienced and could be trained to improve their practices. In contrast, participants from pharmacy council, GHS in the region and national AMR platform generally alluded that OTCMS and CHPS should not be trained to dispense antibiotics because their level of education is inadequate. GHS personnel from the region further explained that training OTCMS could further compromise inappropriate antibiotic use in the context of already weak regulation enforcement. GHS and pharmacy council in the region rather suggested that OTCMS and CHPS should focus on public health education on disease prevention and appropriate antibiotic use. Conclusions There is general lack of consensus among stakeholders on whether OTCMS and CHPS should be trained to dispense specific antibiotics. Further stakeholder engagement is required to carefully consider this suggestion as views on feasibility differ. Ministries of health and healthcare agencies in Ghana and LMIC should improve access to approved health services to improve antibiotic use in rural settings.

Evaluation of Current Status of Newly Established Model Pharmacies in Bangladesh

Pharmaceutical sector of Bangladesh has developed profoundly after promulgation of the Drugs (Control) Ordinance, 1982. However, the health sector has not been equally developed because of lack of wellequipped drug management system and much needed patient counseling. The presence of adulterated, counterfeit and substandard drugs and the sale of drugs at high prices than the maximum retail price have also been the major problems here. The recent introduction of model pharmacies is supposed to be a hope for the people to get safe medicines at a reasonable cost. The aim of the present study was to find out the current scenario of model pharmacies in Bangladesh and to propose modern and alternative systems that could be applied in model pharmacies for better healthcare management and patient compliance. Thus, the current status of model pharmacies of Bangladesh has been evaluated using a survey-based analysis which utilized a pre-set questionnaire. The survey was conducted on 90 model pharmacies in seven districts of Bangladesh (Level 1 categorized by the Directorate General of Drug Administration, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh). The results revealed that the infrastructure of the model pharmacies should be improved further. Only 33% of the model pharmacies have sitting facilities and 51% of them have washroom facilities for the waiting patients. It was found that despite all the model pharmacies (100%) should have at least 1 A-grade pharmacist in each of them, i.e. a pharmacy graduate registered with the Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh under the Pharmacy Ordinance 1976, but pharmacists were found to be present in only 26% of pharmacies during the visit. Amongst the pharmacists, 98% showed satisfaction with the decision of compulsory engagement of A-grade pharmacists in all the model pharmacies. Defying the obligatory provisions, only 38% model of pharmacies keep the required records of sold drugs. It was pleasing to observe that no physician’s sample of medicines was sold in any model pharmacies. The medicines storage facilities in controlled temperature was found in all the model pharmacies. But the A-grade pharmacists were not available in the pharmacies during holidays. It is opined that modern and ICT based techniques can be applied to modify the model pharmacies for better patient care and patient management. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 20(1): 1-10, 2021 (June)

The Design and Development of an Eye Drop Aid for Glaucoma Patients

Visual impairment is an important public health problem. A cataract is the most common eye disease, and surgical methods are mostly used. Unlike a cataract, glaucoma may lead to permanent loss of vision and can be treated appropriately using eye drops. In this study, the researchers aimed to create, design, and develop a device called “Eye Drop Aid of Naresuan University (EDANU).” This research employed mixed methods using an in-depth interview and questionnaire, which were conducted with a group of 10 experts to provide preliminary data for the design and a group of 20 volunteers to test the efficacy and safety of the EDANU compared with the instructions of the Xal-Ease™ eye drop administration and instructions as recommended by the Pharmacy Council of Thailand in the laboratory. It was found that the EDANU, which was designed and developed as a prototype using thermoplastic polyurethane, which is a highly flexible material, was more accurate, reliable, and safer than the Xal-Ease eye drop administration. The EDANU displayed efficient statistical significance and proved to be safe for using in the laboratory.This was a device that could help glaucoma patients and their caregivers have a better quality of life because this device was more accurate, reliable, and safer than the other two methods. However, the EDANU is still in the process of prototype development, and, in the future, it would still be necessary to study with a human clinical trial.

Pharmacy premises licensing policy formulation: experience from Ghana

Background Licences to operate pharmacy premises are issued by statutory regulatory bodies. The Health Institutions and Facilities Act (Act 829) and Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act (Act 857) regulate pharmacy premises and the business of supplying restricted medicines by retail, respectively, and this could create a potential regulatory overlap for pharmacy practice in Ghana. We theorise that the potential overlap of regulation duties stems from how law-makers framed issues and narratives during the formulation of these Acts. Objective To describe the policy actors involved, framing of narratives and decision-making processes relating to pharmacy premises licensing policy formulation. Methods A qualitative study was conducted and data gathered through interviewing eight key informants and reviewing Hansards, reports, bills, memoranda and Acts 829 and 857. Data were analysed to map decision-making venues, processes, actors and narratives. Results The Ministry of Health drafted the bills in July 2010 with the consensus of internal stakeholders. These were interrogated by the Parliament Select Committee on Health (with legislative power) during separate periods, and decisions made in Parliament to alter propositions of pharmacy premises regulations. Parliamentarians framed pharmacies as health facilities and reassigned their regulation from the Pharmacy Council to a new agency. The Pharmacy Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana could not participate in the decision-making processes in Parliament to oppose these alterations. The laws’ contents rested with parliamentarians as they made decisions in venues restricted to others. Legislative procedure limited participation, although non-legislative actors had some level of influence on the initial content. Conclusion Implementation of these laws would have implications for policy and practice and therefore understanding how the laws were framed and formulated is important for further reforms. We recommend additional research to investigate the impact of the implementation of these Acts on pharmacy practice and business in Ghana and the findings can serve as bargaining information for reforms.

PHARMACY PROFESSIONS IN INDIADURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PRESENT STATUS, FUTURE CHALLENGES AND A WAY FORWARD

People in every country became exposed to COVID-19 pandemic and cannot able to find a right solution and strategies to overcome from it. Pharmacy is the most important, dynamic and versatile health care profession in the world, whereas its scope and importance are always being emerging at any situation. Pharmacy professionals (PPs) working proactively for the public even in this pandemic situation. Since dependency is high, the responsibility and preference also high for PPs especially in this pandemic situation. Current status in pharmacy education and emerging future challenges of PPs in all aspects, particularly in thispandemic situation were addressed based on observational studies among various pharma industries and published news of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). While in the development phase it has crossed many barriers, not only in the economic level,but also involves regulations, duration, process controls, legal hurdles and situational defects. The purpose of this review discusses the evolution and updates in pharmacy, education, pharmacy practice, regulations, and types of challenges along with recommendations for PPs in India in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This review was carried out to summarize knowledge about the updates and challenges in pharmacy professions in all aspects. Sources were retrieved from relevant guidelines and published articles in Google scholar, Pubmed and Science direct of articles up to June 2020. The keywords used for gathering information were listed below.

Outlook for the Pharmacy Profession at the Dawn of the Decade 2020s

Pharmacy profession operated at elementary level in Sri Lanka well up to the beginning of the 21 st century. Their training programs were limited to certificate level, with courses of 1-2 years duration. With the introduction of the four-year university degree programs, pharmacy profession now carry the prospects of making good for the lost time. However, they still appear to be professionally somewhat timid hindering the realization of their full potential. There are many encouraging developments which are bound to promote a bright future. The positive, negative and many other areas related to pharmacy profession are discussed.Keywords: Professional organizations, Covid vaccine, Last gate, Pharmacy Council

A New Reality of Race Course Lady Begs Principal of Low Level Private Pharmacy Institution in Pune University

Single mother cannot produce benefit properly which has required to children, playing, and other food source into energy. Researcher has been looking for simple and effective ways to deliver benefit into the children who have a single mother to child by their choices as well as single mother has to her choice. The most common one has taking orally that has financial support from organization which has privately manage and ruled out by under the surveillances of Pharmacy council of India and abused principal of the college. However research shows that has easily broken down by the system. This problem has solved by using intervention by secretarial level department of health research (DHR) government of India. These can be done by binding pharmacy council of India by department of health research with government of India. The encouragement has protected with monthly salary that has single mother by choice which has service privately manage under the influence of abuse principal pharmaceutical Institutions which has linkage of slums and rural area in India. Once financial support reaches the children’s, another pathway takes over to help financial pass into the children needs. Binding of regulatory of pharmacy council of India to single mother by choice residing in private pharmacy institution in slum makes the financial hitch a ride on this protected supply chain, where it has released to do its work. Financial help also causes stimulation of brain which leads to increased release of sertraline moieties. Finding simpler ways to deliver cause into the slums pharmacy institution has one important avenue for tackling the myth of single mother by choice that has sweeping the developing world and GDP in slum occupied pharmacy Institutions. Single mother by choice has specific mechanisms for protecting and absorbing valuable things that would usually be correlate by financial conditions and better delivery method to their children.

Pharmacy Premises Licensing Policy Formulation: Experience from Ghana

Background: Licence to operate pharmacy premises are issued by statutory regulatory bodies. The Pharmacy Council regulated pharmacy premises until the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) was mandated by Act 829 (2011) to license pharmacy premises. The Pharmacy Council under Act 857 (2013) now regulates the business of mixing, compounding, preparing, or supplying restricted medicines by retail. Objective: To describe the policy actors involved, framing of narratives and decision-making processes relating to pharmacy premises licensing policy formulation.Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted and data gathered through interviewing eight key informants and reviewing Hansards, reports, Bills, memoranda and Acts 829 and 857. Data were analysed to map decision-making venues, processes, actors and narratives. Results: The Health Institutions and Facilities Bill (2010) and the Health Professional Regulatory Bodies Bill (2010) were designed within the Ministry of Health bureaucratic system and processes with inputs and consensus from all stakeholders including the Private Hospitals and Maternity Homes Board and the Pharmacy Council. Between 28 October 2010 and 20 July 2011, the Health Institutions and Facilities Bill which established HeFRA, was subjected to legislative procedures and decisions by parliamentarians. The parliamentarians framed pharmacies as health facilities and reassigned its regulation to HeFRA. Similarly, the parliamentarians deliberated on the Health Professional Regulatory Bodies Bill which established the Pharmacy Council between 4 March 2011 and 21 December 2012. To which all content relating to licensing pharmacy premises were deleted from the Bill. Conclusion: The content of these policies rested with parliamentarians (with legislative power) and was largely based on how they framed issues relating to pharmacy premises regulation. Legislative procedure limited participations although non-legislative actors had some level of influence on the initial content. As legislative processes may be similar in other LMICs, this paper can contribute to learning and the formulation of Pharmacy premises regulation.