Rising from its 21st Annual National Scientific Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recently, the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) has called on governments at all levels to ensure that viable Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) schemes are put in place in all state and federal hospitals, as well as mandate officials to operate them along the established guidelines of the scheme.
The association expressed its resolutions in a communique jointly signed by the National Chairman, AHAPN, Pharm. (Dr) Kingsley Chiedu Amibor and National Secretary , Pharm. Jelili Kilani.
Identifying lack of viable Drug Revolving Fund in hospitals as a great setback which compromises national security with attendant poor healthcare delivery, the conference stressed the importance of a viable DRF in the country, noting that it brings about patient satisfaction with quality healthcare delivery.
The communique further revealed the consensus of the delegates on DRF, as they agreed that DRF scheme should be allowed to operate without depletion of funds or decapitalization, which is also guaranteed to generate revenue for the health institution.
“Conference resolved therefore that the head of pharmacy department as the custodian of drugs in every health institution is to be empowered by making him a required and mandatory signatory to the Drug Revolving Fund account. Furthermore, viable Drug Revolving Schemes should be allowed to operate for at least six months without interference after which profit accruable may be evaluated”, it stated.
While urging all pharmacists to embrace pharmaceutical care as an add on to their traditional roles, the communique identified barriers to the implementation of pharmaceutical care, noting that all members must arm themselves with the relevant advanced knowledge and skills.
The document reads in part: “Conference reiterated the concept of pharmaceutical care as- Establishing and maintaining a professional relationship with the patient; Collecting, organizing, recording and maintaining patient specific medical information (both subjective and objective); Evaluating the information and developing a drug therapy plan together with the patient and the patient’s other healthcare providers or communicated where necessary to the patient’s other healthcare providers; Ensuring availability of patient’s supplies (medicines and medical consumables)
“ Reviewing, monitoring and altering the plan and desired outcomes as appropriate, in collaboration with the patient and healthcare team to help continuity of care; Providing drug information to patients, pharmacists and other healthcare providers; Organizing seminars and making presentations to educate all healthcare providers and the patient; Participating in quality improvement activities to assure safety of patients. Participating in clinical research to aid in the improvement of practice”.
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