The Head of Account Maintenance Origination and Servicing, Tech and Operations at Stanbic Bank, Frank Owiredu-Yeboa, has called on pharmacists in the country be adaptive and exhibit continuous learning to maintain relevance in a world that is constantly changing. Mr. Owiredu-Yeboa was speaking at the maiden edition of the ‘White Coat Ceremony’ organised by the School of Pharmacy of the University of Ghana on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Speaking on the theme ‘Retooling the Pharmacist for Practice in the Digital Age’, Mr. Owiredu-Yeboa said: “Lifelong learning is paramount. The environment is changing so fast that we as professionals must keep abreast with the changes happening around us. Let us use the opportunities available to us to improve on ourselves. As pharmacists, our training makes us natural when it comes to effective questioning, active listening and teamwork, and I dare say memorising. It is no mistake that our lecturers have kept posology (study of dosage) in the curricula. Learning will also include opening your mind to all possibilities.”
Frank Owiredu-Yeboa also applauded efforts to streamline collaborations between the pharmaceutical industry and other health professions through the National Electronic Pharmacy Project. According to him, implementing the project will be critical to effectively running Ghana’s health sector. He said: “Data in this era is king, and the insights which can be derived from this data could help society and the profession in designing policies that improve the outcomes we seek to obtain in helping our patients or clients. With this also comes collaboration, both within the profession and with other health sector colleagues.
“I was happy to witness the National Electronic Pharmacy Project. An audacious project but very important, which the Pharmacy Council in partnership with other health stakeholders has created to ensure easy and safe access to medicines across the country. It is my prayer that they speed up implementation to make it accessible for the citizenry. I am also hopeful that we’ll adopt it as pharmacists while offering constructive feedback to make it even better,” he added.
The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for students in medical, dental, pharmacy and other health training schools, and marks the student‘s transition from the study of preclinical sciences to clinical health sciences. The event was chaired by the Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, with the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Alhassan, as special guest.
