The efforts of the Ministry of Health continue to improve the profession of pharmacy and activate its important role. To raise the level of performance and control the quality of health care provided to patients. The General Administration of Pharmaceutical Care provides drug treatment to all patients in a highly professional manner. To obtain the desired positive results from the use of the drug, whether for treatment or prevention. The administration also seeks to achieve its general goal, in reaching the best levels of health for the citizen; Reducing the number of patients, disability cases, and deaths resulting from drug problems. The concerned authorities in Saudi Arabia are working to reduce the occurrence of these problems, or limit them through the optimal use of medicines, at the lowest costs, and this is considered the core responsibility of the pharmacist towards the patient.
They do not want to work in the "private"… Why?
The Director of Pharmaceutical Care at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Muhammad Al-Shennawy, explained in the paper “Career Graduation for the Pharmacist Practitioner and Coming Directions at the Ministry of Health,” that the Ministry covers more than 60% of citizens and residents within the Kingdom medically and healthily, and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties controls the training processes for the health practitioner and gives Evaluation and equivalence of certificates, in addition to providing and following up volunteer hours. A study issued by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry on July 6, 2006, entitled “The Obstacles Facing the Activities of Private Pharmacies in the Riyadh Region,” revealed that there are obstacles that limit the activity of pharmacies related to the procedures and conditions required for issuing licenses for a new pharmacy, transferring the ownership of the pharmacy, and transferring the pharmacist’s sponsorship, in addition to the lack of Number of graduates from Saudi universities and specialists in the field of pharmacy. The study said: The Saudi pharmacist often does not want to work for the owners of private pharmacies, but prefers to manage pharmacies or participate in the management of a group of pharmacies.
The study revealed that there are shortcomings with regard to the role played by the sub-committee of private pharmacies in the Riyadh Chamber in communicating with investors in the private pharmacies sector to contribute to solving the problems of the sector and submitting proposals.
Monitoring malpractices
The recommendations of the international conference stressed the importance of adopting the unified electronic file and linking it to all health service providers, including community pharmacies, which contributes to determining the most appropriate treatment plan for the patient and reducing potential side effects from not dispensing the appropriate medication, as well as the electronic link between the Food and Drug Authority and community pharmacies for information. on developments and circulars issued. And activating joint work between the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, the Scientific Council for Pharmacy and accredited hospitals to establish residency and fellowship programs in community pharmacy, to develop Saudi pharmacists capable of raising the level of pharmaceutical care in the community, as well as reviewing and updating practice systems in community pharmacies. The recommendations also demanded the need to monitor wrong practices in dispensing medicines, develop mechanisms to reduce this phenomenon, legislate controls and penalties for transgressors, and provide awareness programs for patients and community groups about wrong practices in dispensing medicines, and the danger of taking medicines without a prescription. Especially antibiotics, in addition to striving to prepare a comprehensive plan to localize the pharmacy sector and provide job opportunities in pharmacies and work to make community pharmacies an attractive and stimulating environment for Saudi pharmacists, as well as seeking to increase job satisfaction in them, and encourage Saudi pharmacists to work in community pharmacies and give new pharmacists opportunities to own pharmacies .
Say goodbye to the typical dispensing of medication
The International Conference on Community Pharmacy, which is the first of its kind in the field of community pharmacy in Saudi Arabia, recommended that a committee of deans of faculties of pharmacy, in cooperation with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, prepare a national framework for the competencies of pharmacy graduates. According to the standards of the Saudi National Qualifications Framework in the Education Evaluation Authority, the recommendations included upgrading the outputs of pharmaceutical education and developing skills and competencies to suit the needs of the labor market in community pharmacies, in addition to adopting modern trends in health education in the curricula of colleges of pharmacy, and including modern technologies in pharmaceutical education such as pharmacies Virtualization and community pharmacy simulation as part of the educational courses in the curricula of colleges of pharmacy.
The participants recommended the need to include courses, training hours, and special courses in community pharmacy in the curricula of faculties of pharmacy within the basic and advanced pharmacy training program, and to include community pharmacies in training as a requirement for graduation and the training year (excellence), and to work between the Committee of Deans of Colleges of Pharmacy in the Kingdom, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, the Food and Drug Authority, and the Ministry of Health. Ministry of Health to develop and rebuild community pharmacies to improve the methods of providing pharmaceutical care, and move from the standard dispensing of medication to the provision of integrated pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies, and to work on accrediting the provision of pharmaceutical care services in community pharmacies, such as diabetes medicine clinics, blood thinners, asthma medicines, vaccinations, and others.
One pharmacist for 1,200 citizens
According to the statistical prediction of pharmacists, the number of Saudis will jump by 222% until 2027, bringing their total number to 26.6 thousand, constituting 74% of the total workforce, while the number of non-Saudis will decrease by 54% to reach 9440, forming 26%, so that the total number will exceed 36 thousand pharmacists, and thus it will be The ratio is 1200 citizens for each pharmacist.
In order to achieve self-sufficiency of Saudi pharmacists in 2027, there is a need to reduce the number of foreign pharmacists by 6.7% annually over the next ten years.
The total number of Saudi consultant pharmacists is 131, and 494 senior pharmacists, while the number of “clinical pharmacists” is 102 Saudi pharmacists, and the total number of job seekers with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy is estimated at 907 pharmacists.
Competent pharmacists.. are skilled
Pharmacy is one of the most important medical specialties, as it focuses on creating medicines and various chemical formulas. In view of its importance and the growing need for highly qualified and empowered pharmacists, it has become necessary to raise students’ awareness about pharmacy and how to build a strong career. Parallel to medicine in its various departments, whether human medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and the rest of the health sciences, the pharmacist prepares drug formulations, ensures their effectiveness, describes how to use them, and how often and how often they are appropriate for his condition.
6,668 pharmacies and 5,709 pharmacists… Saudis
Statistics issued by the Ministry of Health in 2018 revealed that the number of pharmacies that obtained a final license in all regions of Saudi Arabia reached 8,665, while the total number of licensed pharmacists working in pharmaceutical facilities and private health institutions reached 24,265, and foreigners account for about 93.1% of the total workers in Pharmaceutical establishments, with 22,602 employees, and Saudis constitute only 6.9% of the total workers in the private sector, with 1,663 pharmacists. The Commission for Health Specialties expected that the number of Saudi pharmacists will increase during five years (from 2018 to 2022) this year by 149% compared to the current numbers, with 12,377 pharmacists of both sexes to be graduated from Saudi universities, with 6,668 females and 5,709 males. According to the data of Saudi universities and the number of batches that will graduate during that period, 1231 students graduated in 2018, 2393 in 2019, 2631 in 2020, and 3004 in 2021, while the year 2022 was the highest in the number of expected graduates for pharmacy students, with 3118 students.
Saudi excellence and superiority
The conference revealed that the profession of pharmacy is one of the important health professions in any health sector worldwide. Whether governmental or private, due to its direct connection to patient care as well as community health. Numerous studies, both local and international, have proven the essential role of the pharmacist as part of the patient care system as well as an important part of the health system in any country. Saudi Arabia, there is a development and distinction in the curricula of the faculties of pharmacy at the level of university education, which led to the graduation of distinguished Saudi competencies whose distinction earns the labor market in Saudi Arabia; Whether governmental or private, Saudi pharmaceutical education has also become a role model and reference at the regional and continental levels. The mixture is important to cover all fields of pharmaceutical work, which the Saudi labor market needs.
Multiple missions and abundant opportunities
A consultant in epidemiology and pharmacoeconomics, an expert and a member of the World Health Organization and president of the International Society for Pharmacovigilance in the Middle East, Dr. Thamer bin Musnad Al-Shammari, confirms to “Okaz” that the pharmacist has an important role in the hospital sector and pharmaceutical and clinical work in the government sector and the private sector. The pharmacist distinguishes his ability to work in many fields such as the Ministry of Health, pharmaceutical companies, community pharmacies, the academic sector, and others. We find there a greater tendency towards the private sector, especially in drug companies and community pharmacies, which contributed more to the development of these entities by providing service and health care to patients and society alike.
Statistics issued by the Ministry of Health in 2018 revealed that the number of pharmacies that obtained a final license in all regions of Saudi Arabia reached 8,665, while the total number of licensed pharmacists working in pharmaceutical facilities and private health institutions reached 24,265, and foreigners account for about 93.1% of the total workers in Pharmaceutical establishments, with 22,602 employees, and Saudis constitute only 6.9% of the total workers in the private sector, with 1,663 pharmacists. The Commission for Health Specialties expected that the number of Saudi pharmacists will increase during five years (from 2018 to 2022) this year by 149% compared to the current numbers, with 12,377 pharmacists of both sexes to be graduated from Saudi universities, with 6,668 females and 5,709 males. According to the data of Saudi universities and the number of batches that will graduate during that period, 1231 students graduated in 2018, 2393 in 2019, 2631 in 2020, and 3004 in 2021, while the year 2022 was the highest in the number of expected graduates for pharmacy students, with 3118 students.
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