Evidence for full scope is there: FIP

PHARMACISTS around the world need to use the evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic to extend the profession’s scope of practice, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) President, Dominique Jordan, believes.

Addressing the opening session of the FIP Word Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Seville, Spain, on Sun, Jordan said the global health crisis had demonstrated that “pharmacists and pharmacies are integral to a well-functioning healthcare system”.

He added that the pandemic had accelerated the expansion of scope of practice at an “unprecedented rate”, noting the number of jurisdictions where pharmacybased vaccination has been approved has doubled over the last six years.

FIP Vice President, Ash Soni, added that the pandemic had disrupted health services and had brought additional burdens, including an increase in mental healthcare needs.

“Add wars and food insecurities to this landscape, and it can be no surprise that decades of improvements in health outcomes are now under threat of reversal,” Soni said.

“If universal health coverage is to become a reality, growth in the provision and use of essential health services through pharmacy must accelerate further.

“Pharmacy — through its many sectors and areas of expertise — is vital to universal health coverage.”

The 2023 FIP World Congress will be co-hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA), and the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA), in Brisbane from 24 to 28 Sep 2023.