-As PSN confers Fellowship on Amibor, 111 others
Chairman of the Board of Fellows (BOF) of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. (Dr) Joel E.B. Adagadzu, has charged all new Fellows of the Society to live as worthy ambassadors, saying the onus is on them to show the way to younger pharmacists.
He made the remarks shortly after the investiture of 112 new PSN Fellows, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
Speaking with Pharmanews on the importance of the Fellowship award, Adagadzu noted that while it confers the highest honour of the Society on recipients, the Fellowship is not for mere showoff, but a call to the responsibilities of role-modelling for the younger ones and representing the Society accordingly wherever they find themselves.
Fellows must be far from all appearances of corruption and shady deals in the community, he stressed, adding that they should strive to lead in all aspects, including practice, behaviour, comportment and in financial dealings. He also emphasised for them to make more meaningful contributions to the Board.
Adagadzu said: “There is a saying that to whom much is given, much is expected. Right now, all eyes are on the new Fellows, as other pharmacists will be watching to see how they will comport themselves, especially in public; whether they will lead by example or not.
“The onus is now on them to lead others by example, practice what they preach, avoid unethical conduct unbecoming of Fellows, and also render a helping hand to junior colleagues and young ones as much as possible.
“They should be ready to act as role models, and engage in coaching and guiding our colleagues in the course of their rendering care. Mentorship of our junior colleagues should be one of their roles as new Fellows, if not the primary role.”
In an exclusive interview with one of the newly decorated Fellows, Pharm. (Dr) Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, deputy director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, he pledged to fully justify the confidence reposed in him by the PSN, in conferring the Fellowship award on him.
A strong advocate of pharmaceutical care and clinical practice, Amibor described as unfortunate, previous scenarios where Fellows of the Society did nothing to justify the award conferment, saying the criteria for the appointment of Fellows should convince anyone that a Fellow of the PSN is not a run-of-the-mill pharmacist.
“He or she is usually time-tested, mature, experienced and has excelled in the chosen area of practice,” he said.
On his objectives as one of the new Fellows, Amibor said, “I am prepared to lead by example, as well as ready to coach and guide the young and upcoming ones. Even though I am currently a clinical pharmacist practising in the hospital, I have a responsibility as a Fellow to ensure that pharmacists practise ethically and are above board in their practice.
“I have a responsibility to ensure that the practice environment for pharmacists is serene enough, I have a duty to ensure various managements furnish the pharmacists with adequate tools they need to discharge their responsibilities optimally.
“I will also strive to ensure that young pharmacists exhibit very high professional conduct and discourage sharp practices among them. Issues such as ‘register and go’ must never be condoned, as well as other untoward practices.
“I will also advocate for a reward mechanism to recognise and honour young pharmacists who are practising in line with professional dictates,” he pledged.
Amibor, the immediate past national chairman of Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), further stated that the Fellowship will boost his effort in securing collaboration with other well-meaning persons to permanently change the narrative of hospital pharmacy practice in Nigeria, adding that this will definitely require networking with the leadership of the AHAPN, the Committee of Heads of Pharmacy in Federal Health Institutions (COMHPFHI), the Board of Fellows (BOF), various hospital managements, the PSN, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), as well as other stakeholders to achieve set objectives.
He also mentioned training and retraining of pharmacists as part of his objectives, saying there is need to continuously build capacity among colleagues, pledging that he will always bring this to the front burner in order to engage relevant organisations and sister associations.
 of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. (Dr) Joel E.B. Adagadzu, has charged all new){kind=link}