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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

NU’s pharmaceutical meet focuses on medication safety

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The two-day Oman Pharmaceutical Conference 2019, organised by the College of Pharmacy, National University of Science and Technology, began on Tuesday at the college campus, on the theme ‘Empowering Pharmacists in Healthcare and Medication Safety’.


Prof Simon Jones, NU Vice-Chancellor, welcomed the guests at the conference which was inaugurated under the auspices of Dr Hilal bin Ali al Hinai, Secretary-General, The Research Council. He released the conference proceedings and honoured the speakers and sponsors of the event. Dr Salim bin Khamis al Araimi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, NU, and chairman of the organising committee, felicitated the chief guest. Mohiuddin Mohamed Ali, NU Director, was also present.


The keynote address was given by Dr Suresh Madhavan, Dean and Professor, System College of Pharmacy, University of North Texas Health Science Centre, Texas, US. He spoke on the topic ‘Empowering Pharmacists for Innovative Roles in Healthcare and Medication Safety in Oman’. Dr Mohammed bin Hamdan al Rubaie, Director-General of Pharmaceutical Affairs and Drug Control, MoH, chaired the session. Dr Suresh Madhavan highlighted how the pharmacist can play an important role in medication safety.


Inaugural session was attended by the officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, WHO, pharma industry, professionals, students and media. Dr Jayasekhar P Nair, Acting Dean, College of Pharmacy, proposed a vote of thanks. Later Dr Hilal bin Ali al Hinai inaugurated the pharma exhibition.


The two-day event, accredited by the Oman Medical Specialty Board, is attended by more than 250 delegates including pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, students and other healthcare professionals from Oman and outside. The conference provided a variety of events including plenary lectures, workshops, panel discussions, pharma exhibition and poster presentations highlighting research in the field of pharmacy. Several pharmaceutical establishments in Oman supported the conference.


The sessions started with a lecture on medication safety culture in the Middle East by Dr Thamer al Shammari, Medication Safety Research Chair, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. His lecture was followed by Dr M Ramesh, Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice, JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysore, India, who spoke on ‘Medication Without Harm – A Global Patient Safety Challenge’. Anwar al Muslim, Clinical Pharmacist, Maternity and Children Hospital, MoH, Saudi Arabia, highlighted medication errors in pediatric population. Dr Moustafa Fahmy Mohamed, Dean, Oman College of Health Science, MoH, chaired the session and gave insights on medication safety.


The session on Pharmacovigilance was chaired by Dr Saleh al Khusaiby, Strategic Health Adviser, NU. The speakers were Husain al Ramimmy, Director of Pharmacovigilance, DGPA & DC, MoH, and Dr Sathvik B Sridhar.


The session on ‘Patient safety’ was chaired by Dr Amna al Hashar, Deputy HoD, Pharmacy Department, SQUH. It was conducted by Sara al Balushi, Director, Pharmaceutical Care Department, Directorate-General of Medical Supplies, MoH. She spoke on ‘Drug-related Problems in Oman: Classifications and Opportunities for Pharmacists’ Interventions’. Her lecture was followed by a talk on ‘Medication safety in the management of diabetes in Oman’ by Dr Mukesh Bhandari, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, NU, Suhar. Shireen al Zadjali, Pediatric hematology/oncology clinical pharmacist, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, spoke on “Clinical pharmacist’s interventions; Promoting medications without harm.”


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