The Vital Role of Pharmacists in the Healthcare System

Samira Gongora

Acting Technical Advisor of the Pharmacy Unit at the Ministry of Health, Samira Gongora says that contrary to what is widely perceived; pharmacists play a vital role in the health services in the country. There are over two hundred and fifty plus registered pharmacists in both the public and private sector. Gongora says that these frontline workers are the final contact of any patient who needs medical care and require adequately prescribed medication.

Samira Gongora, Acting Technical Advisor, Pharmacy Unit, Ministry of Health

“I would like to consider us last, but certainly not least because we are the last contact that the patient has when they encounter the healthcare system. And so we play a vital role in ensuring that the nurses do their job, the doctors made sure that they assess the condition carefully and that finally they are getting the medication for the condition that they accessed the service for from the beginning. And so the cure for the condition will happen with the treatment of the condition and so we are the last contact so we have to make sure that all was covered and that the person will be cured for what they encountered the system. We have to explain to them that they have to take their medication carefully. We have to look at other aspects of their lifestyle that may be affecting their condition, other underlying causes, if they are taking any other medication that may interact with what they will be getting now. And so there is a lot that we do as a pharmacist that as you say might somehow, or maybe because we do it so easily, go unnoticed. So there is a lot of thought process involved and so it can’t go unnoticed what we do because we do what we love and we continue to do it. And I can’t mention how important of a vital role we play in the healthcare system.”