Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has promised pharmacists in Uganda that Parliament will soon pass a Pharmaceutical Bill to support their work.
Kadaga who was opening the 8th African Pharmaceutical Symposium on Monday at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe said government has turned to pharmacists in the hope of preventing diseases.
“As guardians of the common good, we (Members of Parliament) commit to playing our role of ensuring that Pharmacy practices are directed to the good of our people,” she said, adding that since the current strategy in the Ministry of Health is prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, a lot of support must be switched to the departments that are responsible to reach out to people.
“We will actively support you by passing laws (Like the Pharmaceuticals bill, which I ask the Ministry of Finance to expedite) and by allocating public funds in accordance with your health innovations.
“We shall also involve you in the health-related decision-making processes, and facilitate you in reconciling your activities with the current trends in the Pharmaceutical practices like the need for specialisation,” the Speaker said.
However, Kadaga also asked them to play their part by advancing their skills with the current trends in technology.
She noted that since there are constant changes in the environment (and distribution and abundance of most infectious agents which are determined by the environmental factors), infectious agents are evolving and are becoming resistant to drugs, a call for the new innovation.
“We, therefore urgently need you to continue integrating our Pharmacy practice with the current trends of technology and innovation top promote patient-centred health delivery,” Kadaga said.
In reference to the current statistics from World Health Organisation, the Speaker revealed that in low-income countries, health is frequently compromised by diseases and conditions that are preventable or treatable which has led to high levels of premature deaths which are associated with factors such as tobacco smoking, unhealthily diet and consumption of alcohol which she asked health officials to tackle on much.
Meanwhile, the theme for the symposium was ‘A New Health Era: Pharmacy Practice and the Evolving Epidemiology Landscape’
