PowerPoint Presentation
Presentation by Mount Kenya University during the Kenya Pharmaceutical Association Conference
KENYA PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION
NINETEENTH (19TH) ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
27TH , 28TH AND 29TH JULY 2023 AT THE REEF HOTEL –MOMBASA
THEME: “NEW PARADIGMS IN PHARMACEUTICAL CARE”
Presentation delivered by Dr. Vincent Gaitho on behalf of Prof. (Dr) Simon N. Gicharu, Chairman and Founder Mount Kenya University
PROFESSIONS AND TRUST IN USA
Nurses are rated the best, with 79% of U.S. adults rating them as very high or high. Majorities of Americans also rate medical doctors (62%), pharmacists (58%), and high school teachers (53%) as very high or high.
IN CANADA
Pharmacists 78%, Physicians 75%, Canadian Soldiers 74%, Airline Pilots 73% and teachers 65%
WHY TRUST PHARMACISTS?
- Pharmacists are in an excellent position to address problems affecting the society due to their focused training, unique perspective, and unparalleled access.
- Pharmacists have the most specific training in drug therapy of all health-care professionals, which creates an opportunity to evaluate a patient’s medication needs in a manner that is unique to the health-care team.
- Pharmacists are the most accessible health-care professionals;
- Serve as the first and/or the most frequent point of contact between a patient and their health-care team.
- Majority of patients have got the first encounter with the pharmacist at community pharmacy level.
- Majority of patient with chronic diseases have many visit to community pharmacy than to hospital or to the physician.
- Pharmacists are the most trusted health care profession by the patients.
- Yours is a calling
- Most first time diagnosis happens at the community pharmacy level e.g. hypertension.
- Most of medical emergencies land at the community pharmacy first.
- More than 70% of patients on medications do not know much about the medicines they are taking, what they do to their bodies and to the disease.
New Paradigms in Pharmaceutical Care?
What is pharmaceutical care? The term “pharmaceutical care” was first defined in the US and used in 1975 to refer to the care that a given patient requires and receives, which assures safe and rational drug use.
Pharmaceutical care: A revolution in the making?
- The pharmaceutical care concept was embraced by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in 1998.
- In adopting this definition, the FIP added one significant amendment, i.e.; “achieving definite outcomes that improve or maintain the patient’s quality of life.”
- FIP supports the concept of pharmaceutical care but recognizes the individual needs of different countries. How many patents have we commercialized in this field and/or spin-offs incubated from innovations among us and our researchers?
Pharmacy
Science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing, monitoring medication, aiming at ensuring the safe, effective and affordable use of medicine
Towards New Paradigms in Pharmaceutical Care
- Training
- Research
- Community service
- Lobbying
- Information and communication
- Science and technology
- Inculturation
Breakthrough Perspective of Pharmacy Training at Mount Kenya University
- The history of Pharmaceutical training at MKU dates back to 2003
- Then Precursor of MKU, Thika Institute of Technology (TIT) got the approval to offer Diploma in Pharmacy
- 1st private institution to do that.
- In 2005, MKU sponsored Dr. Philip Mwagiru, a Senior Pharmacy Lecturer at MKU to publish the first pharmacy textbook ever written by a Kenyan; a publication titled, “Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Chemistry” that remains as the only locally written textbook in use in that field.
- In 2008, Mount Kenya University Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum was approved by the Commission for Higher Education (precursor to the Commission for University Education)
- In 2009, the first class of Bachelor of Pharmacy students was admitted.
- Up to the 23rd Graduation Ceremony of MKU (4th August 2023), MKU shall have graduated 680 Pharmacists,
- 250 of them are the upgrading group from diploma in pharmacy to degree.
Supporting Training Towards New Paradigm in Pharmaceutical Care
- Towards cutting edge research at MKU on matters of human health, and in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) MKU has launched the Centre for Malaria Elimination, Institute of Tropical Medicine.
- The 450 Million project, researchers and students from MKU and collaborating Japanese universities, such as Osaka City University, shall contribute to the generation of evidence-based interventions that will have a lasting impact on the health and well-being of communities affected by malaria.
- The School of Pharmacy plans to mount 3 (three) post graduate programmes in pharmacy that will have industrial attachment / internship both locally and abroad effective January 2024.
- Four PhD international/expatriate as staff have been recruited to support both the Undergraduate and soon the Post Graduate training which will also have a manufacturing edge is in line with the Government priority agenda of increasing local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- This will further be made possible through ongoing and future partnerships with local and foreign pharmaceutical agencies including Accredited and Pharmacy and Poisons Board Approved Manufacturing Sites in India for the International Industrial attachment component,
- Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Kiambu County for herbal products commercialization.
- Arrangements are at an advanced stage for a partnership with the upcoming Center of Africa’s Life Sciences (C.O.A.L.S), an institution for research and development of new medicines that is based in Naivasha, Kenya whose Founder, Dr George F. Njoroge, nicknamed, “the African medical drugs hunter”, is a recipient of tens of global awards and recognitions, and was awarded the Honorary Doctoral Degree in Pharmaceutical Science by Mount Kenya University on July 2014.
Conclusion
- Welcome PPB, KPA and all stakeholders to partner with research and training institutions in Kenya in pursuant of their vision and mission;
- Invitation to access and make use of MKU affiliate institution (tv47 and Radio 47) to anchor, lobby communicate and inform;
- Partner with MKU and other likeminded institutions and individuals to support corporate social investment initiatives;
- Continue collaboration with PPB/KPA for the necessary guidance for research and training in pursuant of the New Paradigms in Pharmaceutical Care;
Thank You!
