Professionalization of pharmaceutical services is an important pillar in the struggle of ensuring medicines reach all who need them. Professionalism and good governance in church health systems as a means to support the delivery of efficient and effective pharmaceutical services cannot be overlooked. EPN seeks to strengthen the capacity of pharmaceutical personnel within the network for effective pharmaceutical service delivery and creating linkages to increase the effectiveness of their efforts.

Cognizant of the huge pharmaceutical human resource gaps in many of the countries where EPN members are, the drive under this objective is to define which standards apply irrespective of who is employed to provide a service. The institutions that are targeted will be those providing care to patients, i.e. hospitals and other lower level health facilities as well as the pharmaceutical supply agencies.

The goal of the programme is to promote and enhance professionalism and good governance in church health systems as a means to support the delivery of efficient and effective pharmaceutical services.

EPN seeks to achieve this goal through: 

• Identifying and if needed developing and promoting adoption of appropriate and acceptable standards for pharmaceutical services
• Carrying out and supporting capacity building and skills development activities
• Mentoring, developing and using expertise of the members
• Sensitizing relevant organs within the CHS on issues of professionalism, transparency and governance

Coming up!

A 12-week course on essentials of pharmacy practice, to empower hospital pharmacy staff with relevant practical knowledge and skills to provide a reasonable level of quality pharmaceutical services.
Gulu, Uganda, 6^th February to 27^th April 2012.
Financial support for the course has been provided by the Bread for the World Ecumenical Scholarship Programme. This course follows a pilot run in Nairobi in 2011. The course will be rolled out further in various anglophone and francophone countries in 2012.

Those who are interested in the course can communicate to the EPN Secretariat.

Read more: Essentials of pharmacy practice course - 2011

Events and activities

• Essentials of pharmacy practice course - 2011
• Pharmacy practice standards for hospitals
• October 2010 - Francophone technical seminar on pharmaceutical issues
• October 2010 - Francophone workshop on advocacy
• June 2010 - Medicines management workshop Congo
• Curriculum for training of non-pharmacy staff in hospitals
• HR mapping studies

Consult our guidelines and tools to learn more about professionalization of pharmaceutical services.