Speech by Minister of State for Health, Dr Amy Khor, at the Singapore Pharmacy Council Pharmacist’s Pledge Affirmation Ceremony, 3 May 2013

Mr Wu Tuck Seng,

President,

Singapore Pharmacy Council

Distinguished Members of the Council

Newly Registered Pharmacists and Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening.

1. I am pleased to be here at the Singapore Pharmacy Council’s Pharmacist’s Pledge Affirmation Ceremony to welcome the new pharmacists into our healthcare family.

2. I wish to extend my congratulations to all the newly registered pharmacists. I am sure that you and your families are very happy and proud that you have successfully completed a significant milestone in your professional training.

DEVELOPING A QUALITY HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE

3. As part of Healthcare 2020, the Ministry of Health has made a commitment to develop the healthcare workforce to meet the needs of the population. In addition to building capacity and growing the numbers of healthcare professionals, we also need to ensure that we are developing a quality healthcare workforce.

4. I am heartened to note that the Pharmacist’s Pledge includes a commitment for pharmacists to impart your knowledge, experience and skills to nurture future pharmacists.

5. During the Committee of Supply debate this year, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong announced that the Ministry will continue to invest in the training of all our healthcare professionals by providing funding to our institutions in FY2013 to enhance their capacity to deliver good quality clinical training. In addition to classroom training within educational institutions, healthcare professionals, such as yourselves, also undergo supervised training in the healthcare institutions. Such training would not be possible without a very important group of people: the pharmacy seniors and colleagues who serve as preceptors and mentors to guide the new graduates in the transition between university and the working world.

6. Some of the pharmacist preceptors and mentors are in the audience this evening, and I wish to acknowledge your efforts and contributions to the development of Singapore’s quality healthcare workforce. For the newly registered pharmacists, as you embark on the journey as members of the healthcare profession, I hope that you too will embrace your future role as preceptors and mentors for the next generation of pharmacists and future colleagues.

ROLE OF PHARMACISTS IN THE CARE CONTINUUM

7. Let me now talk about the significant roles that pharmacists can play to improve the care and treatment of patients across the healthcare continuum, especially that of medication management.

Safe and Effective Medication Use

8. As medication experts, pharmacists add value to the healthcare system through reducing medication-related problems and preventable adverse drug events. Such value-added services include medication reviews and medication reconciliation, managing patients in ambulatory clinics and actively collaborating in inter-professional teams to manage specific medication-related issues.

9. With the development of the Regional Health Systems and to support the integration of care, pharmacists should continue to work closely with each other and with other healthcare professionals to promote safe and effective medication use beyond your practice settings and across the care continuum. This care integration is important and needed. By doing so, the Pharmacy profession will be aligned with, and be able to positively support, MOH’s Healthcare 2020 vision towards improving accessibility, quality and affordability of healthcare to meet the healthcare needs of the Singapore population.

Preventive Care and Health Promotion

10. Earlier this year, the Ministry formed a Healthy Living Master Plan Taskforce to develop a plan to change our current landscape to encourage healthier living. As pharmacists, you are well-positioned to engage patients and to provide public education about healthy living and preventive care, such as by encouraging lifestyle modifications, early screening for diseases and helping patients improve medication adherence as part of chronic disease management.

11. I encourage all of you to continue engaging the patients you serve and the community you live in, as part of the collective effort and shared vision to keep Singaporeans healthy.

PHARMACIST’S PLEDGE

12. Today, you will be making a promise that serves as a moral compass to guide your professional decisions and ethical conduct. By taking this pledge, you are making a personal commitment to the profession and the public that you will uphold and demonstrate the qualities reflected in the pledge, regardless of your area of practice as a pharmacist.

13. I trust that the pledge will resonate in your hearts, and that it will instil in you a sense of pride and duty to your profession, and reflect your commitment to provide the highest level of care to your patients and the community that you will serve.

CONCLUSION

14. In closing, I would like to once again convey my heartiest congratulations to all the newly registered pharmacists. I wish each one of you a successful and fulfilling career.

15. Thank you.