PCC CELEBRATES PHARMACISTS ON WORLD PHARMACISTS’ DAY
When was the last time you took a pill, an injection, used a band aid or just walked into or walked past a healthcare facility? Did you think about the pharmacist?
Central to any healthcare system, is their Central Pharmacy which is often considered as its heart or the circulatory system, if the health system is being compared to the human body. In Cameroon, leading health systems like the government facilities, the Presbyterians, Baptists, and the Catholics have found various ways to centrally manage their drug, equipment and material supplies.
HOW DO WE EVEN IMPLEMENT HEALTHCARE WITHOUT MEDICATION ?
The PCC Central Pharmacy plays the key role in medication management, formulary management, drug compounding, clinical support on medication, quality assurance, education and training, inventory control, interdisciplinary collaboration, patient safety as well as research and development for the PCC Health Services. The pharmacy was founded in 2000, initially with Mr. Chana Robert as Pioneer Pharmacist who handed the baton to Dr Nyaah Fidelis. After many years of success, Dr Nyaah after became the Health Services Secretary of the PCC. The Pharmacy now benefits from the administrative coordination of Dr Edmund Neba, another seasoned and renowned pharmacist.
The Pharmacy has played its role immensely, and grown from a small apartment flat in Buea to a large building that hosts its various units. Most prominent of ventures are the production of items such as: their famous Liquid antacid mixture, Calamine lotion for skin cures and hand sanitizer. The Minilab initiative. carries out partnership with DIFAEM which has strengthened pharmaceutical systems in and out of Cameroon maintain quality drug management practices. The PCC Central Pharmacy is also contributing significantly in the fight against fake and falsified drugs through its awareness-creation and drug quality management initiatives.
With the changing times and tides, the CP is engaging various approaches to stay true to its purpose and impact. These include ensuring that health units get Quantification of stock right to prevent frequent external purchases of medications available at the CP. Present-day easy-to-use Software to facilitate stock management increase efficiency and reduce time lost in performance of rudimentary functions.
With rising costs of medical care and medications they now do an open bidding system where needs are forwarded to several suppliers and they state the unit cost price and quantities of medicines they can supply before examination by the Purchase Committee.
One prominent axis for CP, is proper community engagement to reduce abuse, misuse and poor use of medications in communities. According to Pharmacist Edmund Neba of the PCCHS CP, “All medicines are poisons. How it’s used determines the outcome of treatment. Only seek advice from a qualified health Practitioner. This is his message to the general population as the Pharmacy commemorates “Word Pharmacy Day”.
