“Transforming global health” is the theme of this year’s World Pharmacists Day, marked on 25 September, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) announced today. This is particularly timely as we all face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year sees our 10th World Pharmacists Day. We aim to show how pharmacists contribute to a world where everyone benefits from access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines and health technologies, as well as from pharmaceutical care services,” said FIP President Dominique Jordan.
“We are one of the key health professions that will help meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Colleagues in all fields of the profession are all individually playing a part in transforming the health of their communities. Together, united by FIP, this is a global effort that we must continue, and that we must also highlight. Right now, for example, pharmacists all over the world are working tirelessly to stop the spread of the coronavirus/COVID-19, and to ensure people continue to have access to medicines they need. I want to thank pharmacists for their efforts during this difficult time. The 21st century will be the century of pharmacists and I invite colleagues around the world to mark 25 September in their calendars,” Mr Jordan added.
The World Pharmacists Day theme this year is an opportunity to communicate how pharmacists are transforming health through a variety of health services in their communities, including advising on healthy living, vaccinating to prevent disease, and ensuring that medicines are taken correctly, thereby managing diseases well and improving quality of life. It also covers how pharmaceutical scientists transform and prolong people’s lives by developing safe and effective medicines and vaccines. On the education front, pharmacy educators are transforming outcomes by ensuring that there are enough qualified and competent pharmacists and scientists to meet the growing needs of our societies.
FIP’s member organisations and others around the globe use World Pharmacists Day to highlight the value of the pharmacy profession to stakeholders, and to celebrate pharmacy.
