Sunday 19 / May / 2024
Muscat: His Excellency Dr. Hilal Al Sabti, Minister of Health inaugurated today the Oman International Pharmacy Congress and Exhibition (OIPCX), that is organised by the Ministry of Health, represented by the Directorate General of Medical Supplies at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center.
The inauguration ceremony included a welcome speech delivered by the Director General and Chair of OIPCX Ph,
Ibrahim Al Rashdi, who pointed out that this version of the annual event is distinct considering its inclusive scientific program that covers various areas of pharmacy ranging from pharmacy education, supply chains, pharmaceutical regulatory affairs, moving to patient-centered pharmaceutical care, noting that Universal Health Care is of great importance to all professions and decision-makers working in the health field in general and in pharmacy in particular.
Al Rashdi stated that in order to promote efforts in supply chains, the DGMS will contract with ASHP and CIPS to obtain professional certificates and establish an effective system for managing supply shortages. Biosimilar is one of the focus areas of the congress addressing the strategies for ensuring safe and effective usage of interchangeable biosimilar, added the Director General of Medical Supplies.
Dr. Paul W. Bush, Vice President of Global Resources Development and Consulting American Society of Health –System Pharmacists presented the Congress Keynote entitled “It Takes a Multidisciplinary Team to Manage Drug Shortages”.
The lecture reviewed the various definition of drug shortages, then addressed the unanticipated events impact drug supply, the current characterisation of shortages by category, and how are shortages managed. In addition, the drug shortages impact on inpatients and outpatients where also touched upon, concluding with strategies and the team to mitigate drug shortages.
At the end of the ceremony, the patron of the event toured the accompanying exhibition of the international manufacturers of medicines and medical devices, as well leading pharmacies in the Sultanate of Oman, in addition to the pharmaceutical industry sector.
The theme of this year Congress is " Shaping the Future of Pharmaceutical Services ", which is guided by Oman Vision 2040 pillars, Health Vision 2050, the Sustainable Development Goals, the WHO Global action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the Global NCD Compact to move towards universal health coverage.
Topics of pre-conference sessions considered the multidisciplinary approach to managing drug shortages, medication safety in the Gulf: navigating best practices and challenges, International Quality Standards and Regulatory Requirements for medical devices to ensure maximum benefit to patient risk ratio, in addition to two panels on empowering and shaping the future of Pharmacy Education, and Pharmaceutical societies in the Gulf region to address challenges and view opportunities.
