Pharmaceutical society to partner Malawi govt to curb drug theft
Pharmaceutical Society of Malawi (Phasom) president, Enock Foster on Saturday warned his members against stealing drugs from government hospitals, saying the law shall take its course to all culprits.
Foster was speaking in Lilongwe when he opened the Phasom annual general assembly which took place at Crossroads Hotel, saying the association is receiving various reports pointing fingers at his members to be behind drug theft syndicate in public hospitals.
“We need to discipline people that are involved in drug theft,” he said.
Foster said: “If our members is involved in stealing medicine, he or she ceases to be our member. We have to work hand in hand with Pharmacy Medicines and Poisons Board that these people who are stealing medicines, be it from our society or somewhere, should face stiff punishment because what they are doing is medicine abuse. We are not only doing that, but also we will be part if the Ministry of Health.”
The outgoing president bemoaned that some pharmaceutical practitioners are not registered members of their association and thus it was very difficult to discipline them.
He said that there are more than 500 qualified members but only few are officially registered.
Foster commended the introduction of Master of Pharmacy degree at the College of Medicine, saying this high qualification will help to strengthen pharmaceutical services in Malawi.
He said Phasom is geared to ensure that its members are conducting themselves in a professional manner all the time.
Foster said Phasom is currently a registered body under the under laws of Malawi requirements and and that now they have regional hubs throughout the country.
Currently, dependency on funds collected from their members to provide better services is said to be their major challenges.
Mwananyanian is a BIG lier and not true at all.
@mapuyamurupare:
Kikiki Mwananyanian wakugonjesani baasi. Admit it!
…what’s with your empty statement? And you must be ashamed of it.
What is it’s relevance to the discussion at hand?
“Lier” nso nde kuti chiani?
NOW WE UNDERSTAND WHY TRUMP IS INSULTING AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS DAY AND NIGHT –WE ARE A BUNCH OF LOST AND CONFUSED PEOPLE — EVEN OUR TITLES Phds- professorship is just an insult and a mockery to the holder and the public — MAY GOD HAVE MERCY !!
Seems like Foster is not aware that individuals, thieves or not, must be accorded due process under the law. In other words, just because some one is ACCUSED of theft does not mean they are a thief. Professional jurisdictions, like the pharmacists’ one, must wait for someone to be actually convicted through the legal process, including through appeals, before taking someone’s means of livelihood.
Begs the question: What kind of leader is this Foster guy?
To be sure, and clear, I am NOT defending the pilfering that seems rampant in the hospitals and elsewhere in this country.
As the former and founding Head of the Pharmacy Department of the College of Medicine in UNIMA , who personally taught Enoch, I wish it to be noted that he always left me with the impression of a student committed to his own development and that of the pharmaceutical profession, and as one who had leadership potential. It would be helpful to him of the public could desist from negative responses when he, with others, is clearly seeking the public good!