PHARMACY workers are putting their lives at risk to deliver vital health services throughout the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and need access to testing and personal protective equipment, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) believes.
Speaking at the 73rd World Health Assembly on Mon, FIP Lead for Policy, Practice and Compliance, Zuzana Kusynova, called for greater governmental support for the pharmacy sector during the crisis, including the expansion of pharmacists' scope of practice.
"Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, we have seen an even greater reliance on pharmacists in supporting communities and contributing to the resilience of health systems," she said.
"We pharmacists continue to ensure that people get their treatments and professional advice as part of primary health care.
"Pharmacists continue to ensure an effective and safe pharmaceutical supply chain by identifying medical products at risk of shortage and implementing mitigation plans, such as by compounding hand sanitisers, and combating substandard and falsified medical products.
"FIP calls on governments to authorise expansion of pharmacists' scope of practice, and fully include pharmacists and their teams in emergency protocols.
"Pharmacy teams are risking their lives to continue providing health care to their communities during this pandemic, and several have died.
"FIP, together with four other healthcare professions, urge governments to ensure that all frontline health workers can be tested for COVID-19, and have access to appropriate protective equipment, to be able to carry on in what could be a long-lasting global crisis."
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