The Western Pacific Pharmaceutical Forum

Country Report by the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore

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The year 2003 was yet another busy year for the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore. In March with the appearance of SARS in Singapore, PSS took leadership in providing relevant information leaflets to the public. Four patient information leaflets pertaining to the following topics were designed and distributed to the hospitals and retail pharmacies for dissemination to the general public:

(i)                 Which face mask should I use?

(ii)               Is your body resistance in tip-top condition?

(iii)             Is your body temperature rising?

(iv)              How does a disinfectant work?

Pharmacists in Singapore are gearing towards the implementation of mandatory continuous profession development (CPD). In line with this movement, PSS has been recognized by the Singapore Pharmacy Board to be an accredited CPD activities provider. PSS continue to organize lectures and seminars for pharmacists in Singapore. In the year 2003, a total of 9 CE lectures were held and a certification course on diabetic patient care was also organized.

In addition, a national campaign on ˇ§Ask Your Pharmacist About Your Medicationˇ¨ was launched in July 2003. The objective of the weekend event was to educate the public on selected common disease states and their therapeutic management. Medication review services were offered to the public and it was very well received.

The highlight of the year was the organization of the 16 Singapore Pharmacy Congress which attracted the attendance of over 200 pharmacists. The theme of the congress was ˇ§Achieving Professional Excellence: Challenges for the Pharmacistˇ¨. The congress presented both local and overseas speakers who shared their experiences in areas such as regulation of health supplements and Chinese proprietary medicines; maximizing patient safety and adverse drug reactions; lipid lowering therapy; anti-infectious therapy; immunotherapy and herb-drug interactions.

Prepared by
Dr Wai-Keung Chui

Council Member

Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore