Menu
  • Join
  • Login
  • Contact
 

FIP representation

Event Date & Location Summary
Tallin Charter 15th Anniversary Health Systems Conference under the theme “Trust and transformation: Resilient and sustainable health systems for the future” by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, the Republic of Estonia Ministry of Social Affairs and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 12-13 December 2023, Estonia Tracey Thornley, member of FIP’s Community Pharmacy Section executive committee, engaged in discussions on key policy areas pivotal for transformation, such as digital initiatives, financial protection, engaging youth and civil societies, sustainable greening of health systems, tackling workforce challenges, and precision medicine.

The conference highlightoed the need to rebuild trust in health systems as a precursor to transformation and emphasised the importance of inclusive policy design involving patients and healthcare workers. Additionally, an updated health system performance assessment framework was presented.

Force of the future: Co-creating youth action on immunisation by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe 8 December 2023, Denmark Ruben Viegas, FIP practice development and transformation projects coordinator, delivered a session on “Improving vaccination uptake: The role of health workers” which is connected to FIP's chairing of the World Health Professions Alliance next year. Mr Viegas also actively participated in discussions on the key role of pharmacists in enhancing vaccination uptake.
2023 Midyear Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2-7 December 2023, USA Marianne Ivey, FIP vice president, attended multiple sessions and an international roundtable discussion. She reported confirmation of concerns about common global issues, including a declining healthcare workforce, a lack of authority for pharmacy technicians in certain countries, shortages of medicines, worries about environmental sustainability, and tensions between community and hospital pharmacists in some countries. Dr Ivey also represented FIP during the ASHP Presidents' Dinner for US pharmacy leaders.
International Congress of Regents of Pharmacy UNADISTAS 21-22 November 2023, Colombia Rúben Viegas, FIP practice development and transformation projects coordinator, delivered a lecture on telepharmacy, emphasising the importance of new technologies for strengthening pharmaceutical services in the Americas.
Model United Nations of The International School of The Hague 33rd Annual Session under the theme “Combatting the spread of medical disinformation”. 4 November 2023, The Netherlands Froukje Harkes-Idzinga, treasurer of FIP’s Health and Medicines Information Section, attended the conference as a guest speaker, giving a lecture titled “Combatting the spread of medical disinformation”. The lecture covered methods for assessing information sources, strategies to prevent the dissemination of false information and the role of pharmacists in offering reliable information while addressing misconceptions about medicines.
11th General Assembly of the European Association of Employed Community Pharmacists in Europe (EPhEU) 26-27 October 2023, Norway Rúben Viegas, FIP practice development and transformation projects coordinator, delivered a presentation entitled “Pharmacists in humanitarian crisis — How to collaborate for the benefit of humanity?” FIP’s humanitarian programme and possible pathways for collaboration with the EPhEU in humanitarian pharmacy were the focus of the presentation.
Primary health care policy and practice:
Implementing for better results through nursing and midwifery under the theme “Empowering youth & early career health and care workers through education and employment in primary health care, organised by the Chief Nurse (WHO-HQ) and the EURO Regional Office
5 October 2023, online Sherly Meilianti, FIP’s data and intelligence specialist and FIP representative in the Global Health Workforce Network (GHWN) Youth Hub presented the youth hub’s initiatives aimed at enhancing support for healthcare students as they transition into the labour market. Dr Meilianti also talked about the FIP workforce symposium and its relevance as a practical illustration of how stakeholders can assist students in their transition.
Roadmap for health and well-being in central Asia, 2022–25 (and first meeting of the CARM high-level standing group), organised by World Health Organization Europe 27 & 28 June 2023, Tajikistan How community pharmacies contribute to efficient health systems by providing primary healthcare services and optimising medicines use was presented to the Minister of Health of Tajikistan and officers from ministries of health in neighbouring countries. The meeting, which focused on discussing changes to health policies related to medicine access and pharmaceutical services in Central Asian countries, was attended by Luís Lourenço, FIP professional secretary, and Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, lead for practice development and transformation, on behalf of FIP. They highlighted FIP’s commitment to the Astana Declaration principles and showcased examples of pharmacist contributions during the pandemic. They also presented the FIP/WHO Good Pharmacy Practice guidelines and the FIP Development Goals as a development framework. The meeting marked a collaborative starting point, introducing the principles and frameworks for joint work.
EDQM CMED-PC Stakeholder Day held by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare 20 June 2023, online John Hertig, treasurer of FIP’s Hospital Pharmacy Section, attended the Stakeholder Day of the Committee of Experts on Minimising Public Health Risks Posed by Falsification of Medical Products and Similar Crimes (CD-P-PH/CMED) of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare. Dr Hertig spoke about FIP’s work against substandard and falsified medical products (SF), including the statement on SF medicines that FIP presented at the 76th World Health Assembly. Dr Hertig also mentioned FIP’s curriculum in partnership with the World Health Organization to support educators in ensuring that pharmacists are able to prevent SF medicines.

ASHP 2023 Summer Meetings (79th annual meeting of ASHP)

10 - 14 June 2023, USA Marianne Ivey, FIP vice president, attended the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meetings in Baltimore, Maryland. During the event, she and other pharmacists involved with FIP met to discuss the revision of the Basel Statements and activities at the upcoming FIP congress in Brisbane. Dr Ivey reported that during the Summer Meetings, the ASHP House of Delegates voted on several policies, with considerable discussions around medication safety, prescribing contraceptives, and preparing for track and trace compliance to a regulation that comes into effect in November 2023.

22nd International Pharmaceutical Forum under the theme “Pharmaceutical sovereignty: challenges and opportunities for Africa.

1 - 4 June 2023, Senegal FIP vice president Prosper Hiag co-moderated a panel on the continuing education of pharmacists in Africa, presenting FIP’s objectives for the development of pharmacy. He also participated in a round table discussion on the international dynamics of pharmacy services. The future of pharmacies lies in pharmacy services that can be remunerated in all countries and to reach this stage pharmacists must demonstrate the merits of these services. This requires quality training at the base to integrate new practices at a later stage, and FIP is ready to support its members on this, Dr Hiag said. He went on to suggest the creation of a working group, bringing together professors of pharmaceutical law, international experts, FIP and national pharmacy orders through the Inter-Order of African Pharmacists. This working group would focus on the development of pharmacy services in Africa, the transformation of pharmacies and the progress of legislation, he said.

International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation EuRO Immunisation Week Webinar

18 May 2023, online Etwal Bou Raad, clinical associate professor, American University of Beirut, represented FIP and gave a presentation entitled “Beat HPV induced cancers”, highlighting the key role of pharmacists in preventing human papillomavirus cancers.

17th World Congress on Public Health organised by the World Federation of Public Health Associations under the theme “A World in Turmoil: Opportunities to Focus on the Public’s Health.”

2 – 6 May 2023, Italy Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP’s lead for practice development and transformation, delivered a presentation on leveraging pharmacies to expand vaccination pathways and deliver immunisation for all at the plenary session “Immunisation for all in an evolving pandemic: Building resilience, capacity, confidence and vigilance”. Mr Sousa Pinto also represented FIP at a meeting of non-governmental organisations with a public health mission and at a steering committee meeting of the Immunisation For All Ages Initiative.
Virtual Tour for Mexican Pharmacists, Academia Nacional de Ciencias Farmacéuticas México 23 April 2023, Mexico FIP’s chair of the Board of Pharmaceutical Science (BPS) Ross McKinnon described the work of the BPS and the activities of FIP in the area of pharmaceutical sciences, including the biowaiver project focusing on Latin America.
FIP vice president Virginia Olmos presented the strategic goals of FIP, the FIP Development Goals and the Global Pharmaceutical Observatory. Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation, presented FIP’s programmes of work and priority projects.

American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting 2023

24 – 28 March 2023, USA
FIP vice president Marianne Ivey was an invited guest of APhA. She reported: “At the Remington Dinner, FIP was mentioned several times from the podium. The honouree was Henri Manasse who was a very active leader in FIP. Several people discussed the activities of FIP and how Henri played a role in those activities . . . The FIP Basel Statements and the Nanjing Conference were also mentioned.” Dr Ivey added: “A group of attendees who are very active within FIP discussed several FIP activities such as fundraising, attendance at FIP’s annual congress and student travel scholarships.”
 “Trends in healthcare and pharmacy” organised by Pharmacy Today and the Estonian Pharmacies Association  14 March 2023, Estonia  FIP’s professional secretary Luís Lourenço and FIP’s lead for practice development and transformation Gonçalo Sousa Pinto delivered presentations on the role of pharmacists in primary health care and a case study of pharmacy services in Portugal at this symposium which is organised yearly for pharmacists.
6th National Congress of the Algerian Pharmaceutical Federation 21 & 22 December 2022, Algeria FIP vice president Prosper Hiag co-chaired a meeting to discuss the harmonisation of pharmacy education in Africa. Dr Hiag highlighted the pressing need for harmonisation to address gaps identified over the past decade through the FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa, a programme that has sought to advance research, training, and curriculum development by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation across Africa. Among items on the agenda were the proposal of a joint Master programme in health products regulation to be offered by several African universities.
Istanbul Chamber of Pharmacists
Youth Council Annual Meeting

10 December 2022, Turkey Early Career Pharmaceutical Group president elect Safiye Çağansel gave a presentation on FIP and a variety of resources, including the FIP Development Goals.
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting 4-8 December 2022, USA FIP vice president Virginia Olmos represented FIP as an invited guest of ASHP. At a special meeting of leaders of national and international societies of hospital pharmacy, she presented the FIP Development Goals, the work of the Global Pharmaceutical Observatory and the FIP Atlas. During her visit, Dr Olmos also took the opportunity to meet with the ASHP president and CEO and talk about collaborative work on non communicable diseases in Latin America.
Pharmaceutical Forum of the Americas Symposium and the PFA General Assembly 17-19 November 2022, Colombia Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation gave the keynote address on the role of pharmacists in primary health care. The symposium concluded with a roundtable of the presidents of the national organisations, presenting on the contribution of pharmacists to PHC in their countries, and the main challenges they face. At the PFA general assembly, president Eduardo Savio and Mr Sousa Pinto explained the process and the model of integration of the forum with FIP.
International symposium: The role of pharmacists in Paraguay and the Americas 14-15 November 2022, Paraguay Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation, highlighted priority areas for FIP and the development of the profession in the coming years, including the role of pharmacists in primary healthcare, linked to an active presence in community pharmacies.

2nd Brazilian Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences

11-12 November 2022,
Brazil

Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation delivered presentations on remuneration models for pharmacy professional services, and on vaccination services by pharmacists around the world. FIP immediate past president Carmen Peña spoke on behalf of the FIP president at the opening ceremony, in addition to delivering presentations on innovation, technology and sustainability, and on the future of pharmacy. “The congress was attended by over 6,300 pharmacists and students, and had a very comprehensive programme of sessions. The presence of FIP was highly appreciated and acknowledged throughout the congress,” Mr Sousa Pinto reported.

Argentinian Pharmaceutical Confederation (COFA) National Congress of Pharmacy

21 October 2022, Argentina

FIP vice president Lars-Åke Söderlund gave the congress keynote presentation on the future of pharmacy and new innovative pharmacy services from a global perspective. He reported “a strong focus on pharmacy services, especially after the government wants to reimburse services from pharmacy as part of the primary health care portfolio.”

Global Self Care Federation Conference 2022

19-20 October 2022, South Africa

Sham Moodley of the FIP Community Pharmacy Section executive committee represented FIP, giving a presentation on “Self care beyond the pandemic” He highlighted FIP’s commitment and strategic approach to self care and emphasised pharmacists’ roles in the “self-care continuum”. He reported the launch of the Global Self Care Federation Self-Care Readiness Index 2.0. “The findings in the Index also reaffirmed one of our conclusions at the FIP Seville  health literacy round table that high levels of education are not necessarily correlated with higher levels of health literacy,” he said. “A topical issue raised by more than one speaker at the conference is the switch from prescription to OTC as a key mechanism for innovation and widespread access. This is certainly a debate that must be interrogated closely using our One FIP approach to ensure that at the end of the day easy access is accompanied by the appropriate science and patient safety measures,” Dr Moodley pointed out.

“5éme édition du Forum de l’Officine”, with the title “Community pharmacist beyond the  dispensation of medicines”, organised by the Community Pharmacist Syndicate of Tunisia (SPOT)    29 September to 1 October 2022, Tunisia FIP vice president Prosper Hiag spoke for FIP. He reported: “Debate was centred around the future of pharmacy practice beyond the pill to better serve patients and consumers. As FIP representative, I shared the vision of FIP and the FIP Development Goals which encounter self-care, education, technology, etc., to achieve universal health coverage.
ICMM World Congress 2022, with the theme “Military medicine”   5 – 9 September 2022, Belgium FIP Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section president Cdr Sylvain Grenier gave an address to the General Assembly on behalf of FIP President and provided an update on the key activities of the section to the Technical Commission on Pharmacy of ICMM, as per the 2019 memorandum of understanding between ICMM and FIP. “FIP was asked to speak to the General Assembly right after the WHO and before the other organizations, including the World Medical Association.  I do not believe this was done randomly, and following military protocol, this is a great honour,” Cdr Grenier reported.
2nd Southern Pharmaceutical Summit Forum on “Global pharmacy experiences”, organised by Nanfang Hospital of Chinese Southern Medical University, China    20 August 2022, virtual meeting   Vice-president Europe, Hospital pharmacy Section, Josep M. Guiu Segura gave a presentation on “Challenges in drug access to oncology innovation in Spain”. The objectives to promote pharmaceutical management talent construction and strengthen academic exchange were met with good participation of the audience, Dr Guiu reported.
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Webinar on “Pharmacy workforce advancement and career pathway in Indonesia”, organised by the Indonesian Pharmacists Association  26 March 2022, online   Ian Bates, Director of FIP Workforce Development Hub, represented FIP, speaking about drivers of advancing pharmacy practice globally and sharing examples from other countries on the implementation of advanced practice and professional recognition system. “Good meeting which re-enforced FIP missions and activities. In alignment with local polices,” Prof. Bates reported.
American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting 2022 18-21 March 2022, Texas, USA FIP vice president Lars-Åke Söderlund represented FIP. He reported: “I had really many opportunities to talk to several previous Presidents and CEOs of APhA, as well as with Theresa Tolle, the new APhA President. Not only once, but several times with each one of them. Also many others approached me saying how much they actually ‘love FIP’. This made me so proud (as I am extremely proud of FIP), and I am so happy that I could attend the Annual Meeting, promoting FIP. As part of my key message with the APhA leaders - I could meet with all of them to discuss how the global picture has been truly impacted by the contribution of pharmacy in the pandemic – where pharmacy showed it’s essential role within our healthcare systems, and also how pharmacy in the times of a dark war, once again has stepped up, aligned with the FIP vision, and how we in all ways try to support our colleagues in Ukraine.
Afro PHC Policy Workshop on Pharmacists in Primary Health Care 15/03/2022, virtual workshop FIP was represented by Shakirat Adeosun (Nigeria), who gave a presentation on the role of pharmacists in primary health care.
Inauguration of the pharmacy course, 2021-2022, at the University of Granada 24/02/2022, Spain FIP vice president Lars-Åke Söderlund gave the key note presentation, with focus on the future role of community pharmacy. ““When listening to Lars-Åke Söderlund, I fall in love with pharmacy,” was a comment from the event organiser.
4th Pharmaceutical Conference, organised by IMH Cyprus 26/01/2022, Cyprus FIP vice president Lars-Åke Söderlund gave several presentations including on “Expansion of pharmacist’s services — The pharmacist as a health worker”, “The pharmacist, first line consultant” and FIP.  “The presentations and Q&A were much appreciated by the organiser and the audience,” Mr Söderlund reported.


   
      
    


Last update 17 January 2024

FIP Congresses