Healthcare | Monday 31 October, 2016 12:55 pm |

H.E. Dr. Amin Al Amiri, PhD, MSc, Asst. Undersecretary of Public Health Policy & Licensing Sector, Ministry of Health and Prevention - UAE, opens the 3rd Annual GCC Pharmacy Congress today. With the support of the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, the leading congress is held in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), Bahrain Medical Society, Oman Pharmaceutical Society, Indian Pharmaceutical Association, Dubai Pharmacy College, University of Sharjah, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, with Maarefah Management as an initiator of this activity.
Dr. Ashraf Ismail, Managing Director Middle East, Joint Commission International, emphasised in his talk on ‘achieving high standards for medication management and pharmacy operation with JCI accreditation’ about the important role of effective administration of the drug for the treatment of various diseases. In addition, he pointed that medication error is still prevalent in hospitals and it is estimated that the effect of their damage reached up to $4 billion dollars in the hospitals in the United States as it is considered as third cause of death in hospitals. In his lecture, Dr. Ashraf also mentioned some of the contributing factors to medication errors such as inappropriate prescribing pattern by doctors and non-compliance of the medical staff to organisation guidelines and drug formulary.
He added: "we must take many factors into consideration to ensure the effectiveness of the drug administered and to promote rational use of medication, example of such factors include regulating the drug use in the hospitals to meet patient needs and at the same time, following the hospital guidelines. This matter has to be carried out under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist, proper storage of medications, medication disbursement by a qualified staff and in accordance with the procedures and policies, proper documentation of prescribed medication for the in-patients, providing a safe and clean environment for medicines to be reconstituted in the wards and giving the patients the right dose at the right time with proper monitoring for adverse effects.
Regional speakers in the 3rd GCC Pharmacy Congress are focusing on key topics in pharmacy such as the role of regulators in promoting practices and patient care, achieving the highest standards in medicine management and operation of the pharmaceutical sector with the adoption of the international committee for the international adoption, bridging the gap between education and pharmaceutical practice, automating pharmaceutical services and the application of the latest global technology to improve patient care, the role of medical personnel in avoiding medication errors, to achieve the balance between safety and the prevention of medication errors in parenteral nutrition for newborns, amongst other important issues
The 3rd GCC Pharmacy Congress will be sponsored by a number of companies such as Olayan Kimberly-Clark, BD, Wolters Kluwer, Truven and other leading pharmaceutical companies.