More than 200 pharmacists and industry experts came together in Dubai, UAE, for a regional training programme that equipped them with the necessary skill sets required to work with patients.

In the constantly evolving healthcare space in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, pharmacists are increasingly playing a critical role of providing a more patient centric approach which requires them to deliver the key service of medication management, medication reconciliation, preventive services (screening and immunisation), education and behavioural counselling as well as managing the pharmacy model effectively, according to the organiser Bayer Healthcare.

Dr Fayeza Saif Nasir, director of Quality Department, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), said: “We see regular instances where the pharmacist becomes the first point of contact for patients and it is very critical for them to be able to distinguish one case from the other, recommend doctor supervision and aim to reduce patient suffering.

“The workshop has helped them to not only learn from experts but through interaction with colleagues from different countries and sharing experiences.”

Harald Liedtke, managing director of Bayer Middle East, said: “Training pharmacists to become experts in providing pharmaceutical care is a part of our on-going global efforts to recognise the important role played by them in the healthcare infrastructure to support patient needs. We strongly encourage the development of our regional pharmacists to become seven-star experts.

The concept of seven-star pharmacists launched by WHO and FIP and supported by Bayer Healthcare is aimed by addressing the need of pharmacists to meet the ever-increasing health demands: an ever-growing and complex range of medicines, and poor adherence to prescribed medicines, have forced the evolution of the pharmacist’s role into a more patient centric approach (known as pharmaceutical care). - TradeArabia News Service