1. Role of Pharmacist in Malaria Control
15th Roll Back Malaria Partnership Board Meeting
New Delhi
Mrs Manjiri S Gharat
Hon. Secretary, Community Pharmacy Division,
Indian Pharmaceutical Association

2. Role of Pharmacist: African Experience Malaria Fact Card Project (Year 2001-2004)
Project of Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association (CPA), International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) & World Health Organisation (WHO)
Aimed to disseminate reliable and relevant consumer information through community pharmacies on the prevention and early treatment of malaria in various malaria-endemic regions- Zimbabwe ,Tanzania & Ghana
Pharmacists were provided with the training and resources to develop, produce and implement intervention strategies

3. Malaria Fact Card Project (Year 2001-2004)
Malaria Fact Card-Consumer Education tool - easy to understand ,in local language
Focused on prevention, treatment & complied with Malaria Control Strategies in each country
Training of pharmacists in use of Fact Card as Counseling tool
Focused Group discussion for evaluation of project

4. Project Outcome
Fact Card had increased awareness of the prevention and early treatment of malaria in more than 60% of survey respondents in the target groups
Increased pharmacist/patient interaction not only informed patients but also promoted the potential for real change in consumer behaviour
Project was successful in achieving its objectives

5. Typical Indian Retail Pharmacy

7. Pharmacists participating in Tuberculosis (TB) Control
TB Fact Card Project
Pharmacists participating in Tuberculosis (TB) Control
Objectives:
To involve community
pharmacists in:
Promoting community awareness of TB
Monitoring TB treatment prescribed by private physicians
Providing patient support
Implemented through 50 trained community pharmacists in Mumbai & Navi Mumbai

8. TB Fact Card Project Special Achievements Improvement in trader image
Pharmacists’
commitment
Successful
Collaborations
Improvement in
trader image
TB Fact Card
Project
Rise of Concept of
DOTS
Pharmacist

9. DOTS Provider pharmacist with TB patient

10. It has been (pharmacist services) mostly untapped potential till date
Positive experiences of TB Fact Card project in Indian Settings & Malaria Fact Card in African settings suggest:
Pharmacist has potential in participation of various health programmes of Governments
It has been (pharmacist services) mostly untapped potential till date
Pharmacists can add to trained workforce & with their involvement there could be wider outreach of malaria control programme

11. Advantages of using Community Pharmacy Services
Pharmacist-first port of call health professional
Easy accessibility of pharmacies
Pharmacist skills in communication
Friendly relation with consumers
Knowledge about medicines
Better patient care & support
Provision of free advice
500,000 (half a million ) community pharmacies in the country

12. Malaria Control: Issues to be addressed
Shortage of trained manpower
Drug use problems at community level
Insufficient awareness in the community leading to high morbidity & mortality in certain States

13. Observations by pharmacists
Informal discussion with experienced community pharmacists brought up following points
Incorrect use of medicines by patients (incomplete treatment, wrong timings of dosages ,fear of side effects etc)
Suggests-Scope to improve the situation-Role of pharmacist
Low level of awareness & concern about vector control, especially in rural areas
Variations in treatment seen in prescriptions (deviations from standard guidelines?)

14. Envisioned Role of pharmacist
Early Case Detection and Prompt Referral for Treatment
Identifying symptomatic cases & directing suspected cases for medical check up
Referring to diagnostic centers, Drug Distribution Centers (DDCs) and Fever Treatment Depots (FTDs) in the rural areas
Counseling:
Community awareness about causes, preventive measures ,symptoms, diagnosis (emphasis on importance of blood smear examination), treatment
Rational use of prescribed medicines
Counseling to improve Community Participation by sensitizing and involving the community for detection of Anopheles breeding places and their elimination
Sensitizing consumers for various ways of vector control emphasizing personal prophylactic measures

15. Envisioned Role of pharmacist contd
Presumptive treatment in high transmission areas?
Pharmacovigilance –reporting of ADRs
Participation in Evaluation of prescriptions/Prescription audits
Counseling for Travelers malaria
World Malaria Day –IEC campaigns

16. Way ahead… Pharmacist centric model for Malaria control
Consumer health information & other IEC material on malaria in compliance with National malaria control policies ,for distribution/display through pharmacies
Disseminate the information about planned project to pharmacists
Selection of willing pharmacists
Training of pharmacists about disease & use of Information tools
Follow up & monitoring of the activities
Evaluation
Pilot project in one District of any high disease burden State & then nation wide implementation after refining the model

17. Possible collaborations-Public-Private Mix activity
Collaborating organizations at national, regional & local level
National Pharmaceutical Association (Indian Pharmaceutical Association)
Chemist Associations
Government Vector Borne Disease Control Department
WHO ??
Challenges :
Capacity building for training of pharmacists
Funding support (sustainability …)

18. To summarise: Counseling Community awareness Case detection & referral
With appropriate training & supervision, community pharmacists
can complement and supplement the government efforts
to make a significant dent in the malaria burden

19. Thank You CPA Secretariat,London Prafull D Sheth,Vice-President ,FIP
Acknowledgements
CPA Secretariat,London
Prafull D Sheth,Vice-President ,FIP
Thank You