Ikeme To Pharmacists: Be A Game Changer In The Health Sector

The erstwhile president of the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA), Dr. Anthony Ikeme, has urged clinical pharmacists in Nigeria to show leadership in the healthcare sector by developing relevant and game-changing value propositions that will help transform the country’s healthcare system.

Ikeme, who is also the co-founder and Managing Partner of Pharmamedics Inc., USA, gave this charge, while delivering the plenary address at the first annual scientific conference of the Clinical Pharmacists Association of Nigeria (CPAN) held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, recently.

Ikeme said there needs to be a paradigm shift in the current state of play in the industry where too many stakeholders are jostling for positions instead of seeking ways to improve their professions to make a real impact. He stated that the critical question that must be answered by healthcare professionals is essentially the value each stakeholder group brings to the table and not about hierarchy.

“It is not just your hierarchical position, it is your value proposition. What value do you bring to the table? Can you measure or quantify your value to the team, and the patients? Is your indispensability in the healthcare team clear and demonstrable?” Ikeme said.

He explained that focus on such value propositions is necessary for improvements in the healthcare sector and will help shine the light on the critical role of the clinical pharmacist in a nation’s healthcare delivery. According to him, “Clinical pharmacists are not only the healthcare team’s medication experts but also the champion for patients’ education and overall wellbeing.”

Ikeme, who also founded Clintriad, a company invested in clinical trials in Africa, said he is well aware of the obstacles to advancing healthcare in Nigeria, among which are: poor leadership and management, often reflected in poor and incoherence healthcare policies; the dearth of healthcare professionals; inadequate budgetary allocation to the sector, which has led to poor infrastructure; the twin issues of accessibility and affordability; and the largely uninformed consumers of healthcare services. He, however, urged pharmacists to “take ownership of your turf and be adept at accessing, mobilizing, and applying knowledge to optimize medication therapy and promote health, wellness, and disease prevention.”

He highlighted areas where pharmacists can provide value and leadership to include knowledge, quality and system improvement, process, and research and innovation. And this, he said, can be achieved if CPAN provides professional improvement support through “access to cutting-edge journals, best practice training and dissemination of learnings from its conferences, strategic partnerships with diasporan counterparts such as NAPPSA, collaborations with other like-minded professionals, and push for the addition of leadership in pharmacy degree curriculum.”