As the lockdowns are being observed all over the globe and the national level pharmacy professionals are performing frontline roles, this editorial highlights the role of pharmacists in the COVID − 19 pandemic. Pharmacists globally are providing services amidst pandemic, including TRIAGE services, seeing patients and reducing the patients' burden on health care facilities such as hospitals and GP practices. Pharmacists are also working to providing home deliveries, as well as dealing with the increasing number of patients coming through to pharmacies with the other ailments. Pharmacy associations have issued their guidelines and in this editorial, several global examples of pharmacists' role in the COVID 19 are being discussed. Pakistan is used as a country case study in this editorial. The editorial also elaborates how pharmacists in the UK and Pakistan have teamed up together to compile 10-steps protection guidelines for the pharmacy teams in Pakistan in English and Urdu language. This 10-point guidance educates community pharmacies for safety and standard operation as the number of patients in the country continues to rise. These guidelines are endorsed by the government and private bodies. These can be adopted and adapted by any country; keeping in view their laws and regulations.
There is plenty of evidence to support that women leaders are needed in the health and pharmaceutical sectors, although most of the leadership positions in global health are predominantly occupied by men. This is a major challenge to global health policy. Gender diversity and inclusion within the pharmaceutical workforce is integral to optimal patient care. Women continue to be underrepresented in senior and leadership positions within pharmacy, despite outnumbering the men in the global pharmacy workforce. This commentary highlights the need towards gender equity and discusses the several key initiatives that are building momentum and making substantial progress towards this agenda in the pharmaceutical workforce.
IntroductionThere is a need to continue primary healthcare services through digital communication for disadvantaged women living in underdeveloped areas of Pakistan, especially in the age of the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and lockdown of communities. This project will be the first of its kind in aiming to implement a digital health literacy intervention, using smartphone and internet, to disadvantaged women through female community healthcare workers. Improved health literacy in women of reproductive years is known to promote maternal, child and family health overall.Methods and analysisThe study will include a baseline survey, a pre- and post-test survey and a 3-month lasting intervention on (1) hygiene and prevention and (2) coronavirus awareness and prevention. Women of reproductive years will be sampled from disadvantaged areas across the four provinces of Pakistan (Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh), and the selection criteria will be poor, semiliterate or illiterate, belonging to underdeveloped neighbourhoods devoid of universal healthcare coverage and dependent on free primary health services. A target of 1000 women will comprise the sample, with 500 women each assigned randomly to the intervention and control groups. Analysis of variance and multivariate analysis will be used for analysing the intervention’s effects compared with the control group.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval for this study has been received from the Internal Review Board of the Forman Christian College University (reference number: IRB-252/06-2020). Results will be published in academic journals of repute and dissemination to the international scientific community and stakeholders will also be planned through workshops.Trial registration numberNCT04603092.
Herein, CoF2 nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared by simple coprecipitation method and are characterized by various techniques, i.e., XRD, SEM/EDX, FTIR, and UV/Vis, for their structure identification. As-prepared nanostructures were used as photocatalyst, as antioxidant, and as antimicrobial agent. The degradation studies of the prepared samples were carried out for specific time for the degradation of methylene blue (MLB) dye under a UV/visible spectrophotometer to determine decolorization and change in concentration of MLB with respect to time. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) was measured by well diffusion and serial dilution method to determine their efficiency against these two bacteria, through a dose-dependent method. The antibacterial activity was further confirmed against the experimental bacteria through calculation of minimum inhibition concentration (MIC). The antioxidant activity (radical scavenging activity) of the prepared CoF2 NPs was also assessed.
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