Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE government has issued a strong warning to unqualified pharmacists against establishing pharmacies, saying the tendency poses serious threat to public health.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Prof Abel Makubi issued the warning on Thursday evening in Mwanza Region when opening a training session for regional pharmacists, during which he reminded them on their obligation to the public.
According to the chief government medical officer, maladministration of drugs will result into drug resistance since the patients will be given wrong dosages, especially antibiotics medication.
“One of the negatives is drug resistance, because such kind of pharmacists usually issue the wrong dose, especially for antibiotic uses,” he said.
The CMO was officiating a-two-day training to regional and councils’ pharmacists from Mara, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Geita and Simiyu regions.
“Wrong prescription poses a serious threat to public health, especially drug resistance … therefore pharmacists have a major role to protect people’s health by ensuring that they are dispensed with proper medication … One cannot pretend to be a pharmacist and at the same time be a doctor,” the CMO said.
He stressed that arbitrary use of antibiotics is caused by some people who decide to establish the pharmacies without having the required qualifications.
“You should adhere to professional ethics and public service standards in order to protect the public health … You should also adhere to laws and regulations to reduce unnecessary complaints from the public. Every profession within the health sector has guidelines that must be adhered to,” hestressed.
Pharmacy owners must observe the required procedures for establishing drug dispensing outlets and ensure that antibiotics are sold to the prescribed patients, he said.
For her part, the Council’s Registrar Pharmacist, Elizabeth Shekalaghe said her council has taken various steps
to protect the public health by reviewing the qualifications of pharmacists.
“In order to reduce improper use of antibiotics, the council has reviewed the qualifications of pharmacists whose
credentials were doubtful,” she said.
She said that during the review, the Council found that some people were performing pharmacy-related operations using certificates of other people.
“Most of them have been working in pharmacies, and after some time they introduce theirs without following the required procedures. This is against our professional ethics. In this workshop, we will have an opportunity to discuss in detail the principles of professional audit, as well as the rules and penalties imposed to people who violate rules and regulations governing the profession,” Ms Shekalaghe said.
Mid last month during the launch of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, Prof Makubi warned pharmacies
and other drug dispensing outlets to stop selling antibiotics to any patient without a doctor’s prescription, because such practice exacerbates antimicrobial resistance and causes loss to the government.
“Antimicrobial resistance is costly, because when diseases are not responding to the drugs, it will force the government to look for others, which might be expensive,” he said.
