1st CME program for pharmacist in the UAE concludes

The last two sessions of the 'Ask & Consult' program took place recently at the Sofitel Hotel Dubai and Sheraton Creek Abu Dhabi. The program was organized by Sanofi-aventis pharmaceuticals in association with Queen Margaret Medical School & University, United Kingdom, and accredited by the UAE Ministry of Health.

"Pharmacists are the gatekeepers of the community's wellbeing; they are the first point of contact for the patient."

said Alaa Al Naboulsy, Pharmacist, AlfaMed Group.

"I'm very glad these CME sessions are now available, we need to constantly build our existing knowledge base and we need to be updated on the latest treatment options in order to refer our patients/customers accurately."

The "Ask & Consult network" began in early 2008; it is an educational program for pharmacists to increase and up-date their medical knowledge. Six Sessions took place throughout the year (three in Dubai & three in Abu-Dhabi). The program was jointly developed with the full support of the Medical Collage of Queen Margaret University, headed and supervised by Prof. Douglas McBean
, Senior Lecturer, Physiology & Neurosciences, Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh since 1997. Pharmacists gained 12 CME hour credits by the UAE Ministry of Health, and a certificate of Program completion by Queen Margaret Medical School, and Queen Margaret University.

"We are very proud to be the pioneers for pharmacist education here in the UAE." said Mohammed Darwish, Senior Product Manager, Sanofi-aventis pharmaceuticals. "When we initially started, the program was called the 'Pharmacists Excellence Program', and was not CME accredited, but we changed it to 'Ask & Consult' a fully accredited CME program, after we witnessed tremendous attendance and genuine interest from pharmacists. This shows how eager this segment of healthcare professionals is to learn and be updated within their field."