03 Jul 2017

Member of Parliament for Gaborone Central, Dr Phenyo Butale says the role played by pharmacists and the Pharmaceutical Society of Botswana (PSB) in matters of health care is becoming more prominent.

Officiating at the ongoing PSB annual general meeting, which ended on July 1, at Avani Gaborone Hotel, he said the situation was a welcome development, considering the level of expertise that those professionals brought on board.

On some of the PSB’s achievements, Dr Butale said it was important to note that the society was actively involved in the formulation of the National Medicine Policy, Pharmacy Practice Standards and the review of the latest Medicine and Related Substance Act.

Furthermore, MP Butale stated that the society’s presentations at various national, regional and international fora had not gone unnoticed.

This year’s 29th conference and meeting was held under the theme: 'Responsible Use of Medicines and Related Substance."

According to Dr Butale, the theme implied that the activities, capabilities and existing resources of health system stakeholders were aligned to ensure patients received the right medicines at the right time, use them appropriately and benefit from them.

In the meantime, MP Butale encouraged members of PSB to engage on public outreach activities countrywide.

He said by so doing, they would be taking the expertise to the people who needed it most.

He said ultimately their success would be measured by the level of confidence that patients had on their services and profession as a whole.

Dr Butale applauded efforts by the PSB in taking the lead in ensuring the credibility of the profession and the entire pharmaceutical industry.

He said their continuous encouragement of their members to adhere to the laws and regulations of the profession was important to the sector’s growth and appeal. ENDS