Planned overhaul of Abu Dhabi pharmacy laws set to improve hospital services

Dr. Mohammed Abu Elkhair, Head, Pharma/Medicine and Medical Products Regulation Section, HAAD said that protocols are being considered that will standardise operations in pharmacies found in both the public and private sector hospitals serving the UAE.

"We're working on updating new pharmacy laws in conjunction with the health ministry and the other authorities involved," he said. "One of the challenges we're facing is how to improve pharmacy operations in hospitals, and particularly those in the private sector. We want to introduce standard operating procedures."

Dr. Elkhair indicated that HAAD is currently conferring with private sector hospitals about the benefits of introducing new systems. The feedback, he said, has been positive.

"There is no real in-patient pharmacy based practice, and there is no real system for clinical pharmacy, not just in the medical sense, but on the supply of information side too. We don't see this in the private sector," he said.

"We've invited them [private hospitals] and shown them what the public sector do and they're very excited. Hospital administrators might not know the full benefits, but once they see the cost savings that can be made they're becoming more responsive."

Dr. Hashem Tarifi, Head of Pharmacy at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain believes issues are constantly being addressed and improvements made.

"There has been a lot of work aiming at improving the quality of pharmaceutical services. A good example is the introduction of Health Information System (HIS) with the objective of having a network to allow for the integration of the services. Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) can eliminate most of the medication errors due to poor handwriting, or wrong doses, etc," he said.

"Having access to patient profile through a virtual network can revolutionize the prescribing as the health care providers can verify the medication, reconcile for errors of repetition, omission, drug-drug interaction and drug-food interactions and hence improve patient safety and ultimately therapeutic outcome."

According to Dr. Tarifi education should be a priority to allow pharmacists to keep pace with the changes occurring in the field.

"The service is becoming diverse and there is a major departure from the old way of practicing pharmacy," he said. "More emphasis should be placed on improving the clinical skills of the pharmacists which can be achieved through certification, planning of residencies, internships, etc. The status of pharmacists needs to improve, especially with the major shortage of pharmacists in North America. This can be achieved through training and development."

Continuing Medical Education (CME) for pharmacists is an aspect of the Clinical Trials conference to be held at Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Middle East (PABME) later this month. PABME 2009, to be held 20-22 April at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre has become the region's premier event for industry professionals. Simon Page, Director of Life Sciences Division, IIR Middle East believes the annual congress plays an active role in supporting pharmacists across the region.

"Continuing Medical Education is vital for all health professionals. It's widely understood that pharmacists in general need to keep abreast of the latest developments in this specialist field, and for this region in particular, the opportunity to improve skills in the clinical setting is crucial. This is why we have specifically tailored two conferences; the Clinical Trials Congress and Current Trends in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, to include full CME certification. Current Trends incidentally is free to attend."

he said.

Clinical Research is an integral part of the development of new drugs and technologies designed to better treat the diseases that are affecting the global community. Accessing and understanding reliable, effective and successful trial results depend upon healthcare providers' commitment to, and knowledge of, good clinical practices.

Page explained that the Clinical Trials Congress will take delegates step by step through the overall process and study phases; highlighting issues in regulation, ethics, informed consent, compliance, inspections and investigator and sponsor responsibilities.

"It's imperative that pharmacists be given access to as much information as possible. By doing this, informed decisions can be made which will enhance the quality of pharmacy services offered to patients in hospitals," he said. "Ultimately CME helps to improve patient safety and this is why PABME has become such an important event for pharmacists across the Middle East."