The theme of this year’s International Pharmaceutical Federation’s World Pharmacists Day 2023 is ‘Pharmacy strengthening health systems.
Reflecting on this year’s World Pharmacists Day theme, Dr. Geraldine O’Hare, President of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society NI, commented:
“This year’s theme recognises the crucial role of pharmacists, as experts on medicines, in strengthening the health service and in the provision of care in Northern Ireland.
“The capabilities of the pharmacy profession to support health systems in Northern Ireland was recognised by government and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of a pharmacist continues to evolve with an increasing number of clinical interactions directly with the public taking place across a range of roles and pharmacists are increasingly becoming independent prescribers able to prescribe and initiate medication, supporting the capacity of the health service to treat people.
“As the regulators of pharmacy in Northern Ireland, we, in partnership with patients, the public and other stakeholders, must ensure that regulation supports pharmacists to expand their roles and add capacity to the health service to meet the future needs of our community while continuing to ensure public safety.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank pharmacists and pharmacy teams for their achievements in continuing to support the health of our community.”
You can find out more about the International Pharmacy Day theme here.