Programme:
| 08:00 – 08:05 | Introduction by the chairs |
| 08:05 – 08:25 | MOWE-0101 – Innovations in community pharmacy: Malaysian Pharmacists Society driving change in preventive care and sustainability |
| Mr Jack Shen Lim & Ms Yi Ling Ng |
| 08:25 – 08:45 | MOWE-0102 – Managing a multi-stakeholder approach to extending the role of the community pharmacist |
| Dr Susan O'Dwyer, Head of Governance and Pharmacy Services, Irish Pharmacy Union, Ireland |
Overview
MOWE-0101 – Innovations in community pharmacy: Malaysian Pharmacists Society driving change in preventive care and sustainability
Mr Jack Shen Lim & Ms Yi Ling Ng
Due to the dichotomous public-private healthcare system in Malaysia, community pharmacies belongs to a sector of the health system that does not have dispensing separation and requires out-of-pocket payment by consumers. This requires the Society and community pharmacies in Malaysia to develop innovative approaches to ensure the relevance and participation of community pharmacists in the health system.
In addition, community pharmacies are well positioned to promote and provide access to the safe disposal of medicines and preventing environmental contamination. This session will explore the transformative initiatives led by the Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) in advancing preventive care and promoting environmental sustainability within community pharmacy practice.
Key highlights include the MPS preventive care framework, which integrates pharmacists into proactive preventive health strategies, and MyMediSAFE, a collaboration with the Ministry of Health Malaysia focusing on the safe disposal of unused or expired medications to prevent environmental contamination. The session will delve into how these programmes position pharmacists as pivotal healthcare providers and environmental stewards, leading to improved public health outcomes and ecological preservation.
MOWE-0102 – Managing a multi-stakeholder approach to extending the role of the community pharmacist
Dr Susan O'Dwyer, Head of Governance and Pharmacy Services, Irish Pharmacy Union, Ireland
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) is the representative and professional body for community pharmacists in Ireland, with a membership of approximately 2,400 pharmacists working in more than 1,850 community pharmacies throughout the country. IPU members are committed to delivering a quality, accessible, personal, and professional service that puts the patient first and optimises society’s health and well-being as their primary goal.
Community pharmacy in Ireland faces a range of challenges including managing an ever-increasing administration burden, government policy and remuneration concerns, and workforce retention. However, in the last three years there has been an increased recognition by government and other stakeholders of their multifaceted role in the community.
This recognition and the associated government-led initiatives are now enabling community pharmacists to extend their scope of practice. This session will present some of these initiatives, including the legislation in 2011 to enable community pharmacists to administer influenza vaccinations in the community pharmacy setting and the associated supportive work practices developed by IPU. In addition, the session will present the recommendations of an Expert Taskforce set up in 2023 to support the expansion of the role of pharmacists. The recommendations cover the rollout of pharmacist prescribing, the appointment of a Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, and the management of medicines shortages.
