World Pharmacists Day 2019: Date, Theme And Significance

A pharmacist is often regarded as a second doctor who ensures the proper delivery of the medications to the patients and guides them in understanding the benefit as well as the side effects of the same. They also promote the safe use of medicines and methods to improve clinical outcomes. On this regard, every year on 25 September, World Pharmacists Day is celebrated to highlight their key role in patients' safety and reduced medications error.

Theme Of World Pharmacists Day 2019

According to the International Pharmaceutical Federation, the theme for this year's World Pharmacists Day is "Safe and effective medicines for all". It is named so to highlight the vital role of the pharmacists who ensure and safeguard patients' safety by improving the use of medicines.

Significance Of World Pharmacists Day

Pharmacists are known to play the most crucial role in the healthcare industry and they use their knowledge and expertise to ensure that every patient gets the best outcome, in terms of health, from the medicines. Many people think that their job is just to handover the prescribed medicines. But little do they know that they are no less than a doctor in terms of knowledge and experience.

Pharmacists are well aware of the medicines and their side effects. Sometimes, when the prescribed medications by the doctor do not work on patient illness, they are the ones to identify and suggest the best alternative medicine to improve the condition. They also hold a greater responsibility in providing access to medicines to the needy and their appropriate use.

Studies show that medication error is the third-leading cause of harm or death of the patients. The error often results in permanent organ damage, paralysis, or even death. Seeing the consequences due to medication error and the major role of pharmacists in preventing them, the day was adopted by the International Pharmaceutical Federation at the 2009 World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences held in Istanbul (Turkey).

The date, 25 September, is chosen to celebrate this important day as it was on this day in the year 1912, the International Pharmaceutical Federation was started.

The World Pharmacists Day is meant to encourage and thank all pharmacists around the world for their influential role in everyone's lives. Let's spread the message and thank all pharmacists around us.