Speech by Minister for Health, Mr Gan Kim Yong at the Opening Ceremony of the Singapore Pharmacy Congress 2012

Ms Christine Teng, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore

Ms Miko Thum, Chairperson, Singapore Pharmacy Congress Organizing Committee

Ms Lita Chew, Chief Pharmacist

Guests and Pharmacists,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good morning to all of you.

1.      It gives me great pleasure to be here at the Opening Ceremony of the 22nd Singapore Pharmacy Congress.

2.      I understand that this Congress is an important annual event organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS) for pharmacists to keep up-to-date with one another, and to share experiences and best practices.

3.      The theme for this year’s Congress is titled “Driving Medication Safety Across the Healthcare Continuum”. In May this year, I had shared about how pharmacists play significant roles to improve care and treatment for patients across the healthcare continuum, especially that of medication management. It is therefore timely for the Congress to emphasise the leadership role that pharmacists can play to meet patients’ needs and add value to the healthcare team through reducing drug-related problems and preventable adverse drug events.  

MEDICATION SAFETY AND THE ROLE OF PHARMACISTS

4.      As the theme of the Congress - “Driving Medication Safety Across the Healthcare Continuum” suggests, pharmacists are best positioned to drive medication safety initiatives across the healthcare continuum. You have a unique yet diverse expertise in the knowledge of medications, from drug development to product formulation and their clinical use in patients.

5.      The total medication use process is in itself a continuum. In order to ensure safe and appropriate use of medications for our patients, a holistic and coordinated approach is required to improve safety within each medication use process and across care settings. The involvement of pharmacists from the drug development stage to medication management means that pharmacists have critical roles to play at every medication use process. For example, pharmacists in the regulatory and industry sectors play important roles in ensuring that medications reaching the patient are safe and appropriate. Conferences, such as the one we are attending today, provide a platform for us to learn and network with one another to enhance medication safety practices across the various sectors.   

6.      With the growing emphasis on integrated care, we need pharmacists to take on expanded roles in the community, long term care, and home care settings. We now have pharmacists managing patients in ambulatory clinics, providing therapeutic consultations and actively collaborating in inter-professional teams to manage specific medication-related issues.

7.      Within the ILTC sector, I am heartened to know that there is already work done for pharmacists to provide pharmacy services at nursing homes through the collaboration between PSS and AIC.

COMMUNITY PHARMACY ENGAGEMENT

8.      As our population ages, we need to shift our focus to a more holistic approach, to keep people healthy so as to prevent or delay the onset of chronic diseases and reduce hospital admissions. A number of our community pharmacists have been enlisted by the Health Promotion Board as Health Ambassador Pharmacists since 2007 to provide opportunistic counselling to the public on lifestyle modification and management of chronic diseases. I encourage more pharmacists to participate in the programme.

9.      I understand that today also marks the opening of Pharmacy Week 2012, aimed at raising public awareness on the importance of knowing one’s medications to ensure appropriate use. This event is indeed an opportunity for pharmacists to reach out to the public and create awareness of the importance of safe and effective use of medicines. In accordance to your Pharmacy Week slogan “Just Ask”, the public is encouraged to see pharmacists as their partners to better health and as healthcare professionals whom they can ask about their medicines or health condition. I encourage all of you to embrace this opportunity and rise up to the challenge to be proactive partners in advocating better health to Singaporeans.

PROVIDING SPECIALISED CARE FOR COMPLEX CASES

10.    As healthcare evolves, there will be new opportunities for the Pharmacy profession in terms of new and expanded roles and responsibilities. To promote safe medication use in the care of complex cases, pharmacists with specialised expertise are increasingly required. The Pharmacy Specialists Accreditation Board, or PSAB, was appointed earlier in February this year. It defines the specialties in the practice of pharmacy and certifies those who meet the requisites of both qualifications and experience for registration as specialists.

11.    From 1 October onwards, the PSAB will begin accepting applications for specialist accreditation. There will be specialist pharmacists in Oncology; and in Advanced Pharmacotherapy for the areas of Infectious Diseases, Cardiology, Geriatrics and Psychiatry. By taking a leadership role in drug management, specialist pharmacists can meet patients' needs and add value to the healthcare team. The recognition of specialist pharmacists will also create more opportunities and career pathways for pharmacists to contribute to patient care.

CONCLUSION

12.    As we progress towards a more holistic approach to rendering patient care, pharmacists will have to work more closely with each other and with other healthcare professionals to promote safe medication use and support integrated care for the patient and caregivers. I urge you to strive for excellence, and play an even more active role in aligning your profession with MOH’s Healthcare 2020 vision towards improving accessibility, quality and affordability of healthcare to meet tomorrow’s challenges. In closing, let me thank the organising committee and the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore for your hard work in hosting this event. I wish everyone here a successful and meaningful congress.

Thank you.