Primary health care policy and vision for community pharmacy and pharmacists in Lebanon

Abstract

Within a crippling economic context and a rapidly evolving healthcare system, pharmacists in Lebanon are striving to promote their role in primary care. Community pharmacists, although held in high esteem by the population, are not recognised as primary health care providers by concerned authorities. They are perceived as medication sellers. The role of the pharmacist in primary health care networks, established by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) to serve most vulnerable populations, is limited to medication delivery. The practice of the pharmacy profession in Lebanon has been regulated in 1950 by the Lebanese Pharmacists Association [Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon] (OPL). In 2016, the OPL published its mission, vision, and objectives, aiming to protect the pharmacists’ rights by enforcing rules and procedures, raise the profession’s level through continuous education, and ensure patients’ appropriate access to medications and pharmacist’s counseling for safe medication use. Since then, based on the identified challenges, the OPL has suggested several programs, inspired by the World Health Organization and the International Pharmaceutical Federation guidelines, as part of a strategic plan to develop the pharmacy profession and support patient safety. These programs included the application of principles of good governance, the provision of paid services, developing pharmacists’ core and advanced competencies, generation of accreditation standards for both community pharmacy and pharmacy education, suggesting new laws and decrees, continuing education consolidation and professional development. There was an emphasis on all decisions to be evidence assessment-based. However, OPL faces a major internal political challenge: its governing body, which is reelected every three years, holds absolute powers in changing strategies for the three-year mandate, without program continuation beyond each mandate. Within this context, we recommend the implementation of a strategic plan to integrate pharmacy in primary health centers, promoting the public health aspect of the profession and taking into account of critical health issues and the changing demographics and epidemiological transition of the Lebanese population. Unless the proposed blueprint in this paper is adopted, the profession is unfortunately condemned to disappear in the current political, economic and health-related Lebanese context.

Descriptive assessment of graduates' perceptions of pharmacy-related competencies based on the Lebanese pharmacy core competencies framework

“…Given the challenges that the profession is facing, pharmacists in Lebanon would gain from emphasizing the public health aspect, particularly in the community and primary care institution. 42 In the same line, a cross-sectional survey of pharmacists practicing in 14 countries in Africa revealed that the competencies within the pharmaceutical care and pharmaceutical public health clusters received higher weighting on relevance. 43 Competencies related to cultural aspects remain of importance in pharmacy education and practice.…”

Global contributions of pharmacists during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…The Order of Pharmacists in Lebanon issued a guidance for community pharmacists to promote their role in educating the public on disease prevention and in referring suspected patients to adequate COVID‐19 centers. Retail pharmacists played important roles as gatekeepers in containing shortages in drugs and medical supplies by controlling over‐dispensation and black market pricing 32 . Finally, many pharmacists in the academic sector were involved in delivering online education and training sessions on COVID‐19 prevention and management measures, as well as in leading and publishing national studies 31 .…”

Primary health care policy and vision for community pharmacy and pharmacists in Indonesia

“…Community pharmacy has been a stronghold for the general public to obtain medication. 74 - 76 Besides, the current policy under the UHC has been a steppingstone for the pharmacist to involve in the primary care system. There is a nexus between pharmacy services and other health services; therefore, an expansion of pharmacist’s roles in partnership with the GPs and other health professionals might be promoted as a new model of comprehensive care, in the prevention, service integration and continuity of care within the system.…”