Pharmacists have important role to play

PHARMACISTS in Barbados are not turning a blind eye to the high incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which is a major concern to local health officials.

This is according to President of the Barbados Pharmaceutical Society (BPS), Derek Catlyn, who was addressing the congregation at the St George Parish Church yesterday, where the Society officially marked the beginning of Pharmacy Week 2018.

He said the fact that the Ministry of Health has estimated that by the year 2030, 86.3 per cent of all deaths in Barbados will be caused by NCDs, is a situation that the BPS is monitoring closely.

He said since pharmacists play an important role in improving the life of patients, they hold the responsibility to emerge as the leaders of the health care team in the fight against NCDs.

“I am sure the members of the congregation heard about diabetes and hypertension before. It could be a grandparent, an uncle, an aunt, a niece, a nephew and so on. We all have our part to play. In terms of pharmacists, we have a unique quality to other health professions.

“We are easily accessible, and we have vast knowledge when it comes to healthcare. I could see pharmacists improving the quality of life and reversing this trend basically through education and empowering the average Barbadian citizen,” he said.

According to the BPS President, to his knowledge, his colleagues invest time into teaching their patients about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and also about behaviour modification, including regular exercise, avoiding smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, and choosing healthier eating options.

“We are looking at improving health literacy in terms of preventative care. If persons are smoking we encourage them to stop smoking; reduce their alcohol consumption. But, at the end of the day, we are human beings and it is a difficult discipline. So say for instance, if a patient drinks like six beers on a weekly basis, at least they should gradually reduce it to three or two beers.

“I do not expect them to just stop drinking all together. And while it may be a little difficult for some persons to get all the fruits and vegetables they need in their diet, there may be some places they can go to get these foods at a reasonable price. It is the pharmacist’s job to build the relationship with their patients so that they may be able to improve their health literacy,” he said.
(AH)