Pharmacy Acknowledged in Federal Parliament

MP and Pharmacist Emma McBride says she will be using World Pharmacists Day to showcase the range of health services pharmacy can offer. Speaking in Parliament late last week, Ms McBride (ALP, Dobell, NSW) said she would be appearing at a shopping centre in the NSW Central Coast town of Tuggerah, in her electorate, today “to celebrate the role of pharmacists and World Pharmacists Day”.

The theme of World Pharmacists Day2019 is: ‘pharmacists are your medicines experts’. “I have been a registered pharmacist for 20 years, working in community and hospital pharmacies. I am pleased to support this day emphasising our role as trusted sources of knowledge and advice for not only patients but other healthcare professionals,” Ms McBride said.

“With medicine now the No. 1 intervention in primary care, it’s appropriate that pharmacists play a role in managing medication use over the long term. The expertise of these highly trained health professionals can be better utilised by embedding pharmacists wherever medicines are used and empowering pharmacists to manage medicine use over the long term.

Looking at pharmacists beyond dispensing can unlock opportunities for better health care”.

Ms McBride said that the publication of new atrial fibrillation guidelines in the hearts4hearts white paper Time to change the beat, emphasised the increased role played in screening for AF by GPs and pharmacists.

This year on World Pharmacists Day, “some pharmacists will be providing blood pressure and AF screenings to open up conversations about medicines their patients may be taking, such as blood pressure medication,” she told the House of Representatives.

“It is also an opportunity to discuss potential side effects they may be having with their medications, discuss drug-drug and drug-disease interactions and refer patients to their GPs where appropriate”.

“That’s why I will be at Tuggerah Westfield on Tuesday, 25 September, to celebrate the role of pharmacists and World Pharmacists Day,” she said.

Source: ajp.com.au/news/the-day-of-recognition/?utm_source=AJP+Daily&utm_campaign=ae1d242128-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_24_06_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cce9c58212-ae1d242128-109985429, viewed 25 Sep 2018