Pharma Chamber supports SLMA initiative to unlock potential of pharmacy sales assistants of Colombo

Tuesday, 19 June 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In an effort to promote greater emphasis on the role of a responsible and accountable pharmacist in Sri Lanka’s healthcare industry, Medicinal Drugs Committee of Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) together with the Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) conducted a special workshop for pharmacy sales assistants from Colombo District to further upgrade their knowledge on local and global pharmacy trends.

The workshop also had the partnership of Lanka Pharmaceutical Traders’ Association and All Island Private Pharmacy Owners’ Association.

Held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo recently, the workshop titled ‘Current Trends in Pharmacy Practice’ had a number of eye-opening sessions for upcoming pharmacists of Colombo region on topics such as reading a prescription the proper way and identifying common mistakes, developing knowledge and skills to dispense, pack and label medications according to good dispensing practice, new national guidelines for pharmacies, and the relationship between pharmacists and antibiotics. SLCP President Shyam Sathasivam commented: “The pharmacist is a person who serves as a vital bridge between the doctor and patient. Therefore there is a close relation between community, pharmacist and public. With a wide range of new drugs used in medicine, including high-tech biological products and medical devices available in the market, pharmacy sales assistants should always be upgraded with proper knowledge. While this workshop provided vital information on current pharmacy trends across the world, it was a perfect platform for us to make the participants understand the role of a responsible pharmacist who needs to be accountable for their patients on dispensing and labelling medications.”

SLMA Medicinal Drugs Committee Chairperson Emeritus Prof. Gita Fernando said: “We are extremely happy to conduct a workshop of this nature for upcoming pharmacy sales assistants from Colombo District. As the association that leads Sri Lanka’s medical community to higher standards of medical professionalism, we believe that initiatives such as these will assist pharmacy assistants significantly to go a long way to improve the quality of health service delivery in Sri Lanka, as well as strengthening Sri Lanka’s pharmaceutical sector through best practices.”

The sessions were moderated by a panel of eminent pharmacologists, physicians, and pharmaceutical industry professionals including Emeritus Prof. Gita Fernando (Chairperson – Medicinal Drugs Committee of Sri Lanka Medical Association), Prof. Priyadarshani Galappatthy (Professor in Pharmacology – Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo), Prof. Shalini Sri Ranganathan (Professor in Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and Board Certified Specialist Paediatrician), Dr. Sarath Gamini De Silva (Consultant Physician), Kapila De Zoysa (President – Lanka Pharmaceutical Traders’ Association) and R. Shanthan Sandanakrishnan (Member – SLCPI).

The workshop concluded with a Q&A session where participants had the chance to clarify some of the most common issues pertaining to the industry.