What are the practice opportunities for pharmacists in your country? Are there too many pharmacists? Or are numbers insufficient to meet medicines-related health needs? Due to insufficient government policies, education and insurance programmes, there is a gravely uneven distribution of supply and demand for pharmaceutical expertise around the world. This directly affects the ability of citizens to access much needed health services. The World Health Organization and World Bank Group recently predicted that 40 to 50 million new health and social care workers are needed if access to health for all is to be achieved — greater than all previous projections.

This issue of the International Pharmacy Journal (vol 34:2) marks a milestone year for human resources for health, including the publication of the new WHO global strategy. It offers a selection of articles to help you become conversant with the main factors at play (politics, private and public policies, economics, data collection and use, education and training, available skills and defined roles, working environment and motivation, technology and migration) and to help you to act where needed.

Don’t miss: 

• No health without a workforce — WHO’s plan for the world (exclusive interview)
• Artificial intelligence takes hold in health
• The key to a highly performing team
• What continuous manufacturing means for the pharmaceutical workforce
• Tips for taking a postdoctoral position
• Are pharmacists happy with their work?
• Pharmacist-led clinic enabling practice change in Canada
• Your chance to say how the future of pharmacy workforce will look
• Free movement of pharmacists in Europe: Impacts, issues, developments
• Pharmacy students filling gaps in health care
• Investing in health makes sense, OECD economist explains
• Opinion: Brain drain/Brain gain: We need better intelligence
• Pharmacy in Ethiopia: Building professional capacity
• The High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth: Nine things you should know

And news includes:

• New guidelines on medicines for children published
• FIP’s annual report demonstrates empowerment through sharing
• WHA medicines shortages resolution accords with FIP recommendations
• Ministers hear how pharmacists support victims of violence
• Regulators gather to discuss impact of free trade agreement
• Special interest group on pharmacy practice research formed
• New report gives overview of pharmacy services around the world
• Goals for global pharmacy workforce development to be established
• Opposing decisions on funding of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
• NHS England plans to get more pharmacists into GP practices
• Online pharmacies in Germany targeted by hackers
• Sale of non-medical marijuana in Uruguayan pharmacies begins
• Technicians to do final check in New Zealand

All this and more is available to FIP members today!

Access the interactive magazine and pdf here.