Pharmacy: Always trusted for your health

The Pharmacy Guild will hold a range of activities to celebrate World Pharmacists Day which this year will have the theme of Pharmacy: Always trusted for your health.

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) recently announced the theme for the special day which is commemorated every year on 25 September.

In announcing the theme, FIP said that trust barometers had found distrust of societal leaders had increased and distrust of information sources was at a record high, fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the “infodemic” around it.

The organisation said that at a time of uncertainty and when vaccines hesitancy remained a major hurdle, public trust in pharmacy was more important than ever.

For many years, pharmacists have consistently been named among the top five most trusted professionals. Educators also are consistently in the top five and, according to a recent survey, scientists are the most trusted people in the world.

FIP president Dominique Jordan said: “Pharmacists, educators and scientists — that’s our pharmacy profession.”

FIP said this year’s World Pharmacists Day campaign was an opportunity for pharmacy to show appreciation for the trust placed in the profession and increase awareness of this trust and pharmacists’ vital role in improving health.

“Evidence indicates a significant association between trust in healthcare professionals and health outcomes for patients,” Mr Jordan said.

“Pharmacy has built up a reserve of trust over many years of caring, positive relationships, expertise and excellent practice, all delivered with consistency.

“We can put this trust to good use in countering the anti-vaxxers as well as in continuing to improve the health of our communities in general.

“I invite all my colleagues around the world to join this year’s campaign and spread these important messages.”

More information and campaign materials are available on FIP’s World Pharmacists Day webpage: www.fip.org/world-pharmacists-day.

This year, FIP is also holding its second World Pharmacy Week (19 to 25 September), which will celebrate the pharmacy profession with a program of special events to be announced later this year.

Details of Guild Pharmacists Day activities will be announced closer to the event.