News from NGSMIPS | Role of Pharmacists in Vaccination Program

The Department of Pharmacy Practice, NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences organised an online webinar on “The Role of Pharmacists in Vaccination Program” on June 26, 2021. The aim of this webinar was to educate the participants on the crucial role of pharmacists during the mass vaccination drive. Prof. (Dr) Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Nitte (Deemed to be University) inaugurated the webinar and shed light on the country’s success in vaccinating large masses, especially during the current phase. He also emphasised on the urgency to involve pharmacists in order to achieve the newly set national health standards. The opening remarks were presented by Prof. (Dr) C S Shastry, Principal of NGSMIPS. He introduced the speaker, Dr. Michael D. Katz, Professor & Director of International Programs at the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy, USA.

Dr. Katz in his talk presented statistics on the rate of pharmacist`s engagement in the COVID-19 vaccination drive in different countries across the world. He advocated for the different roles that a pharmacist could play during the global health crisis and even as part of disaster management. Dr. Michael emphasised that multi-disciplinary collaboration and cooperation across professions, accompanied with the provision of adequate training to equip and empower all healthcare professionals, are crucial elements to achieve the set targets of disease prevention. He discussed the COVID-19 vaccination map at Arizona and highlighted the significant contribution of students and the active participation of volunteers in the vaccination drive. Dr. Uday Venkat Mateti, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Pharmacy Practice, NGSMIPS coordinated the webinar. Dr. Juno J. Joel, Head, Dept. of Pharmacy Practice proposed the vote of thanks. The event witnessed 300 participants.