COMMUNITY pharmacists should be categorised as frontliners and prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccines when it arrives soon.
With roughly 5,000 community pharmacists serving the nation as frontliners in disease prevention, the Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) urges the authorities to consider administering the COVID-19 vaccine to all community pharmacists.
“This is particularly important as community pharmacists are facing the public every day, both healthy and ill, and are at high risk of contracting COVID-19,” MPS president Amrahi Buang told FocusM.
“With them vaccinated, the public can seek their professional consultation with utmost confidence. Community pharmacy service is recognised as an essential service in any form under the movement control order (MCO).”
On that note, Amrahi urged the Government to consider the possibility of roping in community pharmacists as immunisers with the authority to administer the COVID-19 vaccines to the public.
Citing International Pharmaceutical Federation’s (FIP) data compiled last year, the veteran pharmacist said at least 86 countries have roped in community pharmacists for vaccine advocacy and awareness.
“They play an active role in administering vaccines in at least 36 countries, while this has been proposed or is undergoing development in another 16 nations,” Amrahi opined.
“One of the key levers for increasing vaccination rates among people is by making it convenient and accessible. It is easy to see the significant role community pharmacists can play in this.”
To help curb the spread of the pandemic, MPS also urged stakeholders to:
- Recognise and harness the potential and convenience of community pharmacies for public health, primary healthcare, and disease prevention strategies, including vaccination.
- Foster the full integration of community pharmacies in the healthcare system, by creating the regulatory and operational conditions for inter-professional collaboration, including access to shared patient health records and vaccination records.
- Expand the regulatory scope of practice of trained and certified pharmacists, authorising them to administer a broad range of vaccines beyond infancy.
- Promote the competence of pharmacists in vaccine administration through the development of the required knowledge and skills as an integral part of pharmacists’ foundational education and training, and/or through continuing professional development opportunities.
- Invest in prevention strategies, including vaccines and vaccination services by all providers, including pharmacists, to ensure equity in access to vaccinations and the sustainability of the service.
- Ensure health system readiness for mass immunisation against COVID-19 and any future pandemics as soon as vaccines are available, and
- Include community pharmacists in emergency preparedness and response plans as frontline health workers.
Amrahi added: “The inclusion of community pharmacists as immunisers in Malaysia with a population of 32 million, and millions of documented and undocumented workers is an incredibly significant move to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.
“The country needs all the help by healthcare workers to carry this massive national vaccination programme.” – Jan 11, 2021.
