GSK partners PSN on pharmacists’ training

pharmacy

To boost the knowledge of Nigerian pharmacists and build credibility in the pharmaceutical industry, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited has partnered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) on an innovative training programme, tagged, Scientific Course for Pharmacists Education (SCOPE).

The partnership agreement for the training programme was signed during a press conference organised by GSK and held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, recently.

According to a press statement released by GSK and the PSN, SCOPE is a non-promotional and free online training programme for pharmacists, consisting of nine disease area modules accredited by the US-based Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Speaking at the media conference, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, president of the PSN, said he was delighted that the PSN was collaborating with GSK on the programme, adding that successful completion of SCOPE had become one of the requirements for receiving 10 credit points towards the required 30 credit points under the Mandatory Continuous Professional Development (MCPD) programme of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN).

The PSN president while acknowledging the contribution of GSK as a strong collaborator of the Society for the past five years, stated that the partnership with GSK on SCOPE would further strengthen PSN’s determination to promote and maintain a high standard of pharmaceutical education in Nigeria.

According to him, SCOPE “facilitates a future grounded on professionalism through new frontiers in quality education updates.”

Also speaking during the press briefing, Pharm. Lekan Asuni, managing director of GSK,stated that signing the SCOPE MoU with the PSN marked a milestone for not only the partners (PSN & GSK) but also for the pharmaceutical industry as a whole.

GSK, he said, considered the education partnership with the PSN as a great opportunity to fulfil its mission of improving the quality of human life.

In his words, “through this innovative programme(SCOPE), we aim to enhance the knowledge of Nigerian pharmacists, and in turn, positively impact the lives of patients in Nigeria.The online platform was chosen to implement the modules because it is more cost effective than face to face training with a wider reach as pharmacists in hard to reach area can benefit. Access to quality education indeed builds credibility in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Also speaking on the SCOPE training initiative at the briefing, Google Nigeria Country Manager, Juliet Ehimuan, explained the vital role of the Internet in professional development across all sectors, adding that it was inspiring to see GSK and PSN driving digital awareness within the pharmaceutical sector.