[e-drug] The PharmD degree in developing countries (3)

["Dr Phillip Passmore" <psmint@iinet.net.au>]

The PharmD degree in developing countries (3)
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Dear e-drug colleagues,

Every health care professional will agree that improved education is a
global human right and a proper part of life's endeavour. However there is
less agreement about how to address the alarming quality deficiencies in
pharmaceutical services. The poor state of pharmacy practice in many
countries begs the question whether the PharmD or any other 5 or 6 year
University degree will have any positive benefit to improve quality of
pharmacy service delivery, if the education programs are developed
exclusively in parallel to the prevailing health care systems. 

Education of health care professionals must equip them to be analytical scientific
thinkers and capable of applying knowledge broadly to develop comprehensive
policies and implementation strategy to address critical service delivery
problems.

 An unhealthy myth prevails, that service delivery is the bottom end of the 
educational and bureaucratic chain, the "low level" so to speak.
This myth has adverse consequences on service quality, staffing, budgets,
improvement opportunities and results in the service decline spiral.  

We can see many examples today of the immense chasm between knowledge of science,
pharmaceuticals, pharmacy practice and the application of that knowledge for
the benefit of improved health care to result in improved quality of life.

People cannot gain the benefit of improved health if they are not provided a
high quality pharmaceutical service that is the wonderful outcome of a
comprehensive mix of education, learning, experience, discipline, integrity
and plain old fashioned care. 

 If the PharmD, or whatever we currently need to call pharmacist education,
results in continuous improvement in the quality of pharmaceutical services
and care, contributing to measurable improvements in the health of the
people then we can proudly endorse what being a pharmacist has always been
about. If we miss this point we surely have lost the plot. 

Phillip Passmore

 Dr Phillip Passmore
Adjunct Senior Lecturer 
Curtin University of Technology School of Pharmacy
Bentley 

Western Australia

Director

P.S.M. International Pty Ltd 

Pharmaceutical Services Management Consultants

112 Forrest Street 

South Perth 6151

Western Australia 

psmint@iinet.net.au

HP: +61419994730