Rwanda will, this week, host the International Pharmaceutical Congress, which is expected to attract over 700 delegates from Africa and the rest of the world.

The two-day summit, which runs on October 30 and 31, will attract pharmacists, health professionals, academicians, researchers and policymakers.

Themed ‘The African Pharmacist in Contemporary Practice’, the congress will gather professionals from around the world to share experiences, skills and embrace new pharmacy practices.

According to Patrick Rugambya, the Permanent Secretary of National Pharmacy Council, the congress will also empower Rwandan pharmacists and other health professionals to improve their contribution to healthcare delivery, mainly in primary healthcare.

It comes at a time the number of pharmacists in the country is growing steadily but remains low.

The number of pharmacists in Rwanda grew from 100 in 1994 to 1,000 currently, Rugambya said.

"They are starting to work everywhere and even if they are few in hospitals, at least we now have one in each hospital and more in teaching hospitals,” he said.  

Despite the growth in the number of pharmacists in the country, the scope of practice in Rwanda such administering vaccines or screenings is still limited.

"We want to expand on our knowledge and expand our scope, so there will be policies to advocate for,” he said.

Industry players are keen on advancing the pharmaceutical workforces in Africa and contribute towards strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage by 2030.

Marie-Claire Nyinawinkindi, the Head of Organising Committee, said the forum will assist Rwanda in assessing its pharmacy workforce needs and priorities in the contemporary era: support them to develop needs-based workforce strategies and infrastructure; and provide co-created solutions, tools, mechanisms and resources for implementation.

"One of our main topics of interest is the need for pharmacists to shift from logistics to patient-care. Pharmacists in Rwanda are mostly considered as procurement officers yet patients’ safety is a topic discussed around the world so we have to adapt in the global pharmaceutical trend,” she said.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com