Namibia has marked the National Pharmacy Week with a call to recognise its role in ensuring acess to safe and effective medicine.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services launched the week at the Windhoek Central Hospital under the theme "Empowering the Pharmacy Workforce for the Future".

Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the ministry, Naita Nghishekwa, said the role of pharmacy professionals extends beyond dispensing medicine.

She stated that such roles include patient counselling, medicine safety, supply chain management and promoting the responsible use of medicine.

“Pharmacy is often misunderstood and primarily recognised for dispensing medicines. Although dispensing is a very important responsibility and part of it, the profession does extend far beyond it. And with this year's theme, we mean to compound that expansion. Behind every medicine supplied to a patient is a system of decisions and activities that determine whether that medicine is appropriate, of assured quality, available when needed and used correctly.”

Nghishekwa emphasised that pharmacy professionals have a responsibility to ensure patients understand their treatment in order to take it correctly.

National Pharmacy Week provides an opportunity for professionals to reflect on challenges facing the sector, share practical solutions and celebrate achievement to improve patient care and strengthen Namibia's health sector.