DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The passage of Republic Act 10918, a law regulating and modernizing the practice of pharmacy in the country is seen to provide better healthcare service for the public, a group of pharmacy experts said.
The Asia Pacific Institute for Medication Management said the new law and its implementing rules and regulation will “greatly contribute in ensuring better medication care to the public.”
“RA 10918 is a landmark legislation not only in the pharmacy industry but in the entire healthcare system in the country. If implemented to the fullest, we can expect huge positive impacts on the delivery of better healthcare especially in terms of medication service to patients,” Leonila Ocampo, president of the APIMM, said in a statement Wednesday.
Ocampo, a pharmacist and advocate of Good Pharmacy Practice in the country, said the law’s IRR will take effect this month.
RA 10918 expands the scope of the pharmacist’s tasks to include immunization. The new law is also geared towards the professionalization of the pharmacy workforce by upgrading the level of pharmacy assistants to NC III, requiring more stringent rules on evaluation of pharmacy personnel and pharmacy licensing.
“Pharmacy practice should be appreciated by the public as part of the health profession and this can only be possible if those in the frontline, meaning pharmacies in the patient care settings are capable of delivering professional health service and not merely act as sales people selling drugs to patients,” Ocampo explained.
She noted that the present pharmaceutical practice in the country needs a lot of improvement in order to optimize the outcome of taking medicines.
“At present there is a significant gap between potential and actual outcome of medicines and this can be attributed to some extent to the competency of the people who are handling and dispensing the drugs,” she said.
In 2014, the Department of Health and Food and Drug Authority issued an administrative order and a memorandum circular that set attendance in pharmacy support workforce orientation as a requirement for renewing or applying pharmacy license to operate. (davaotoday.com)
