Guidelines for pharmacists to ensure patient safety

COLOMBO: The Pharmaceutical Society of Sri Lanka has introduced a new set of guidelines for pharmacists to ensure increased safety and responsibility towards customers in dispensing their services.

This decision has been taken in recognition of pharmacist's role as the immediate link between the health services and the public, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Sri Lanka.

Pharmacists will be required to follow these guidelines focusing on promoting safety, quality and access to medicines leading the way to a more effective healthcare system ensuring patient safety and quality care.

These guidelines are expected to increase awareness of pharmacists regarding good pharmacy practice and stimulate the implementation of the guidelines.

They are expected to educate and inspire pharmacists to realise that they can upgrade their standards of service, and provide quality patient care and better customer service with medications of the good quality at a reasonable price.

Speaking at the launch of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP), Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva describing ups and downs in this industry in Sri Lanka, said as the Minister responsible for this subject he has identified many bottlenecks which obstruct the development of this industry when compared with other highly advanced systems related to this field in developed countries.

The Minister clarified many important issues as inherent problems in the industry such as monopoly in the industry among few manufacturers problems due to pharmacists negligence of patients prescriptions as directed by the physician, lack of qualified and licensed pharmacists available in pharmacies.

He also expects that the implementation of these new set of guidelines will bring a relief to the patients by enhancing the quality of the healthcare system. De Silva suggested to the panel present to introduce a degree programme in pharmacy and the necessity of adopting new changes to the existing courses in recruiting students to train as pharmacists.

These guidelines were prepared with the financial assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the participation of Sri Lanka Medical Association.