Spotlight on Significant Role of Pharmacists November 20-26

The Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica (PSJ) will lead Jamaica’s observance of National Pharmacy Week 2022 from November 20 to 26, under the theme ‘Pharmacists: Trusted, Empowered, United for Action’.

Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on November 9, PSJ President, Dr. Tyrone Smith, explained that Pharmacy Week is expected to bring awareness to the public on the different aspects of pharmacy practice in Jamaica and the vital role that pharmacists play in healthcare.

“This is where we try to galvanise all practising pharmacists as well as those who are actually out of the practice. We touch base with everybody and ask them to help create the awareness, so that the general public can be made more aware of the proper, effective and safe use of medication,” he said.

“We want the general public to understand that we have been highly trained and are in the best position to give advice and to really guide you to the proper use, so you can get the best health outcome,” Dr. Smith added.

There will be a virtual launch of the week’s activities on Thursday, November 10, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the PSJ’s Instagram Page and on the Zoom platform. Persons who are interested in joining are encouraged to check the PSJ website for details.

Dr. Smith said that one of the main aims of the week’s activities is to give back to the public. As such, there will be a series of health fairs across the island on Saturday, November 19 and in the Corporate Area.

One will be at the St. John the Evangelist Church on Mannings Hill Road, while the other will be at the Kingston Public Hospital. There will also be health fairs at Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine; Mandeville Park, Manchester; Royal Pharmacy, Westmoreland and the Port Maria Post Office in St. Mary.

On Sunday, November 20, pharmacists across the nation are being invited to visit a church.

“We have some specific churches that we have identified but we do not restrict the attendance to those that are named. We want pharmacists to just attend church and help to create awareness to the membership of the work and worth of pharmacies and pharmacists across the island,” the PSJ President urged.

The official services will be held at the Church of St. Margaret in Liguanea; St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Mandeville, Manchester; St. Ann Parish Church in St. Ann’s Bay and the St. James Parish Church in Montego Bay.

On Monday, November 21, there will be opening ceremonies at different health facilities across the island, and these are being planned and executed by the pharmacy interns who have been assigned to each facility.

Dr. Smith explained that in allowing the interns to undertake the fundraising and planning, including inviting their keynote speakers and other stakeholders, the PSJ is “helping them to understand the different aspects of pharmacy practice in terms of organisational skills and everything that goes along with that”.

On Tuesday, November 22, the PSJ’s induction ceremony will be held at the University of Technology, Jamaica. The President pointed out that the purpose of this event is to welcome newly licensed pharmacists into the profession.

Keynote speaker for the event will be the Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, who is himself a pharmacist.

On November 23, there will be a public forum that will take the form of a panel discussion. This will be held at the Bethel Baptist Church in Half-Way Tree at 5:30 p.m. Several topics will be discussed, such as COVID-19 and its aftereffects on the body, mental health, diabetes and hypertension. Members of the public are invited to attend.

A full calendar of the week of activities will be published in a Pharmacy Week Supplement in the newspaper on November 20.