Narace wants pharmacists to take on greater role

According to Narace, the annual Caribbean Association of Pharmacists convention, currently taking place in Trinidad, would give pharmacists time to reflect on the idea of “seven-star” pharmacists, exchange ideas and set the tone for the Caribbean pharmacist of the future who will become partners in the health care reform.

Narace was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 28th annual CAP convention at the Hyatt Regency ballroom on Tuesday.

Attending the convention are pharmacists from Antigua, Barbados, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Canada, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Spain, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, USA, UK and Trinidad and Tobago.

The association uses the annual convention to keep pharmacists abreast of current trends in health care.

This year there are some 30 exhibitors at the conference including, Schering-Plough, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, GlaxoSmithKline Caribbean Ltd., PSI Drugs, Novartis, Apotex Inc., Health 2000, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Jamieson Laboratories, Excan, AstraZeneca, Sanofi Aventis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association.

The association’s outgoing president Ellen Grizzle, of Jamaica, said Caribbean leaders now understood that pharmacists were progressive professionals who aspired to world standards.

She said they were part of a growing group of professionals who constantly wanted to advance professionally.

“Since that time pharmacists, young and not so young, have taken every opportunity to upgrade. Caribbean pharmacists understand the utility of continued education to their practice and professional aspirations.