The Bitter Truth

Pharmacist's Bitter Pill

Will I be one of those who will quit after being exhausted by the pharmacist's work?

Tired!

so tired. went to a 21st bday party. (i'm supposed to keep the party low profile, so i wun say whose bday party is it..)

i was told by ali i can blog about her bday party haha. so here's the pic..


whole week of lab.. no rest days. finally got my Drug Info Handbook today b4 the party. walked everywhere. legs very sour! (脚很酸)

i'm going to do things i like tmr. i wan to...
1. wake up late
2. jog (hopefully)
3. practise cello (hopefully)
4. get cello books with deposit (hopefully)
5. go to 陈绮贞's concert! haha i dun have helmet though i wanted to borrow, i tot it'll really be quite weird to bring one around...
6. i wan to shop b4 the concert actually (hopefully)

i'm... quite hopeful. HA!

Good Service

I'm really impressed with my hairstylist at Kimage (Jurong East). Nothing to talk about regarding the first visit.

but on my 2nd visit, he still remembered that i was carrying alot of things (laptop, packet lunch, crumpler). at first, he was saying i long time never come and cut hair, and i tot it was just some 应酬 words. hah until he mentioned about my previous visit.

and today (3rd visit), he asked about whether i was still using my hair mask becos he felt that my hair was different (i.e. lousier). then, i realised i totally forgot about the existence of the Sebastian Hair Masque which i bought. haha. he remembers more than me lo... (mayb they have some records of what i bring, what i said and what i bought, HAHA)

and the shampoo girl also remembered i'm a student. haha. (and i remember her too! haha!)

i like it when ppl are 细心 , esp. in the service area. it makes me feel important and i appreciate it very much.. i like their service and... i spent like... $151.30 at Kimage today. HAH! (oops)

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hey how come nobody is going for my concert? dun u see my struggling to juggle with pharm work, FYP and band? dun u wan to see what i'm up to? dun u wan to hear my 2nd suite solo (grinz)? dun u wan to hear me play in the TUBA ensemble (assuming we win tmr)?

BUY TICKETS FROM ME.. $8 ONLY. U CAN EVEN NEGOTIATE FOR A SUBSIDY.

IT MAY EVEN BE MY LAST CONCERT...

(i'm really quite disappointed with my ticket sales. esp. when i've bought more tix than i'm supposed to sell... the only ppl who bought are my sup and previous UROPS mentor. they... dun even noe me well...) :(

I am.....

not supposed to blog...

but i wan to rant...

my restriction digest failed. and if u think it's juz a small reaction/experiment, let me tell u it's about 3 days' work.... cos intermediate products run out and things have to start again... ARGH.. i think it's the starting of failures. now i've got to treat failure more lightly. 失败乃成功之母 haha... (and giam told me i'll succeed on the 100th time... thanks ah)

and i realise i'm actually quite a workaholic. or mayb it's juz that time in the lab runs super fast. sometimes i juz wish that i dun have to go off in time for band/sectionals... sometimes band commitments seem too much. BUT i really wish to continue doing sth i like, amidst FYP. it seems that Da Capo will be my last concert, i'll definitely 舍不得.. but who's going to do lab work for me if i continue with band?

[commercial break: buy my concert tix.. $8 only. last concert leh!]

and not only FYP, i still got my modules and projects one lo. after mid sem break still got CAs...

and i dun even have a bit of time to do some 零零碎碎 things.. like... cut hair, collect Drug Info Handbook from Outram Park Choice Text, go back to Tanglewood to settle my withdrawal and get books with my deposit money, settle a time slot for cello lesson (private)...

i'm glad i've frenz out dere who're on the same boat as me. gatherings with Xinhui (HCJC) always end up with us complaining abt labwork and how reactions always fail. it juz feels better to say it out loud.

oh P1 today. quite alright. i think. and i received an email from my sup asking abt P2 dates... shit. what kind of life is this. i can feel all the stress indicators showing positive results...

My comments on the recent Pharmer news

From NUSPS forum:

i agree with the part about the standards of the overseas pharmacists which we're bringing in. i guess it's probably quite impossible for MOH to bring in pharmacists from UK and US unless they dun mind.. ahem "voluntary work".

I've looked at the comments at the PSS website: http://www.pss.org.sg/main/content/view/553/2/ seems that some of the overseas foreigners are really interested in coming over.

alright, my point is that, yes u can bring in pharmacists to fill up the "holes" temporarily. But on NUS pharmacy side, we should become "school of pharmacy" and increase the intake as this should be the long term solution. While MOH brings in foreign pharmacists, we should bear many different factors in mind, e.g. communication with locals and their skills. most probably they would need to go thru an exam to ensure such skills. communication? i think it's quite hard. e.g. i cannot really imagine an Indian trying to communicate with an old uncle who knows only chinese/dialects. (it's an example, dun say i'm racist or wat) Singapore is an aging population, communication with the elderly is definitely inevitable if they want to practise here.

I've a senior who tried very hard in making pharmacy dept a "school". i think it's time we (those still in NUS) try to continue fighting for it.

Is there some way we're going to collect our opinions here and let us be heard?

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The senior i'm toking abt is Aiwen. haha. there's a recent story of her experience with GPs. check it out~~

it's the first time i'm so onz about pharmer stuff. should be a good thing. HAHA

End of Week 6

20th Sep was Huazhen's bday. hehe another surprise party (3rd time actress liaoz ) haha..

This time i was supposed to act and say i left my FYP file in LT 20 so that Hua will accompany me to LT 20 and there'll be her akido frenz inside waiting to spring a surprise on her. hehe... feedback from hua was that i acted quite well cos i looked quite serious though she sensed something wrong. HAHA... i told u i'm a good actress :P haha

buden the LT was occupied and LC had to fake LS and go toilet and ask hua to accompany her. (HAHAA!) so the surprise was when we all came out from the toilet and the akido ppl were holding the cake and singing the bday song :)

even got refreshments lo! POWER HAHA

Hua and her fren with the cake

it's an acting year haha!

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went to change my laptop bag from New Urban Male. last piece. but looks okay haha

then went to celebrate bday with fellow ah jins (cousins + sister). got a CASIO watch for my bday!! hahaa quite kiddy looking but i tink it's not bad. my 1st digital watch after.... 17 years? haha...

the thai express ppl sang a very long bday song... -_-




it's mid sem break.. means.. it's lab week.. transforming into lab rat!!

NEWS

More registered pharmacists needed: Khaw

SINGAPORE: While the move to set up a separate register of specialised pharmacists is aimed at boosting the level of clinical care, it would be counter-productive if patients do not know whom to turn to for help.

Unlike doctors with areas of specialisation — such as oncology or gynaecology — who "can be easily identified by the public", it is "a lot more difficult" for patients to do the same for pharmacists with different areas of specialisation, according to Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob.

Which is why Mdm Halimah, the Government Parliamentary Committee (Health) chairman, urged the Health Ministry to make accessible to the public a list of specialist pharmacists, so that the register can be of "greater use to the public".

MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Lam Pin Min suggested the formation of groups to look into the needs of the rapidly ageing population and increased prevalence of certain chronic illnesses in Singapore.

Also, these Specialist Training Committees can help provide the specialist manpower required by the bio-medical and medical communities, he said.

These ideas — which Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said would be taken up — were among others thrown up by the four MPs who spoke in Parliament on Thursday about the Pharmacists Registration Bill.

This is the first time in over two decades that amendments are being made to the Pharmacists Registration Act.

These include compulsory continuing professional education for all pharmacists, just like doctors and dentists; converting the current Singapore Pharmacy Board into a new statutory body — the Singapore Pharmacy Council — and permitting the conditional and temporary registration of foreign-trained pharmacists.

There are about 1,500 registered pharmacists in Singapore. This figure needs to be ramped up, due to the growth in the healthcare and biomedical sciences sectors, Mr Khaw pointed out.

The Minister noted that pharmacists are no longer just "custodians of drugs" for patient care.

"They will play an increasingly important role as domain experts in drug evaluation, drug use and surveillance." Given their growing role, there is a need for a "more robust disciplinary and health inquiry framework" for pharmacists, which is modelled after the medical and dentist professions.

One suggested change is the ability to suspend or restrict the practice of a registered pharmacist involved in ongoing disciplinary proceedings against him.

Currently, a pharmacist under investigation can still practise — a situation that could undermine the interests of the public or the pharmacist, Mr Khaw said.

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Docs dispensing drugs: System not without its benefits, says Khaw

HEALTH Minister Khaw Boon Wan is in favour of keeping the current system where doctors are also allowed to dispense medicines.
But he told MPs yesterday that he would work to enhance the system.

'The key is to give our patients the choice to fill the prescriptions wherever they wish, be it at the doctor's clinic, in a private pharmacy, or even across the Causeway,' he said during yesterday's debate on the Pharmacists Registration Bill.

Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC), who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, raised the idea of separating prescribing and dispensing of medicines - as is done in some countries.

She said such a system would have pharmacists acting as a check on doctors' prescriptions, which would improve patient safety.

And patient safety, she argued, was a 'greater overriding consideration' than the convenience of being able to consult a doctor and fill a prescription at one place.

Doctors in private practice here prescribe and dispense medication; in public hospitals and polyclinics, doctors usually prescribe the drugs, while pharmacists in the same institution dispense it.

But Mr Khaw was not in favour of leaving all dispensing of medicines only to pharmacists.

Saying that the current system was 'not without its benefits', he pointed to convenience and cost savings for patients who pick up their medicine at the same place they see the doctor.

However, he suggested that, as a start, doctors in private practice should follow the lead of public-sector clinics and hospitals and provide all patients with a clearly written or printed prescription as a matter of course. They should then leave it to the patient to pick up the medicine anywhere he wants to.

If they choose to do so at the doctor's clinic, the cost of the medication should be itemised on the bill, separate from the consultation fee.

With the passing of the Pharmacists Registration Bill yesterday, higher standards will now be demanded of the 1,468 pharmacists here.

Like doctors, they will have to clock 50 hours of continuing professional education to renew their practising certificates every two years.

And with a register to be set up to list pharmacists with training in areas such as cancer, more will be spurred to pursue further training.

Another change with the passing of the Bill: The Singapore Pharmacy Board, a department within the Health Ministry, will become a new statutory board.

The new Singapore Pharmacy Council will have more power to discipline errant pharmacists. It can, for example, suspend such pharmacists from practice even before investigations are completed.

Two new categories of registration - temporary and conditional - will enable more foreign pharmacists to work here.

Mr Khaw noted that despite the National University of Singapore tripling its intake of pharmacy students from 41 to 115 over the last 10 years, Singapore needs still more such professionals - 200 more a year for the next decade.

Madam Halimah, Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC), Dr Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC) and Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) spoke in support of the changes yesterday, saying that they would improve the standards of what Madam Halimah called 'a neglected lot'.

But Dr Lam cautioned against taking in foreign pharmacists who were not up to par just to ease the shortage, while Mr Seah hoped that foreign pharmacists would be allowed to work in private retail pharmacies.

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Why pharmacists resign?

Better work conditions, pay may help stem high turnover rate of these professionals

I refer to the report, "MOH to recruit more pharmacists from overseas" (Sept 17). It was reported that of the 1,482 pharmacists on the register here, less than half are involved in direct patient care, such as practising in hospitals, polyclinics and retail pharmacies.

This is a worrying figure. While I applaud the ministry's efforts to recruit more pharmacists from overseas, it should also delve further into why pharmacists are not practising and find ways to stem the drain.

I know a pharmacist who has worked in a retail pharmacy and in one of the restructured hospitals. During her stint with the retail pharmacy, she worked from 10am to 10pm, with only half an hour's break for lunch and dinner. This included Saturdays and Sundays, when business is most brisk. Most times, she was the only pharmacist during that 12-hour stretch.

When she was working at a hospital, it was common to see her and her colleagues having lunch at 3pm, after they attended to the last patient from the morning crowd.

At times, she was called back to the hospital even though she was on leave. She worked till 3pm on Saturdays, even though the official knock-off time was 12.30pm. Sundays could become working days when duty called — working one Sunday per month is common.

Such is the life of a pharmacist, be it in hospitals, retail pharmacies or polyclinics.

Increasing demands on pharmacists without adequate compensation leads to many leaving the profession.

Perhaps it is time to review pharmacists' salaries. They are, after all, highly-trained medical professionals who run specialised clinics and make rounds with the doctors to ensure patients fully benefit from treatment.

Until we address the concerns of pharmacists and plug the outflow, increasing the number of pharmacists will not ease the crunch. Sourcing from foreign supply is but a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

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Letter from Darren Chong

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Curing the ills of fewer pharmacists

Letter from Heng Cho Choon

The report "MOH to recruit more pharmacists from overseas" (Sept 17) clearly shows that the Department of Pharmacy at the National University of Singapore (NUS) will not be producing enough pharmacists for local needs over the next five years.

So, where lies the ailment of this issue of supply and demand?

Last month, a parent wrote to the press to complain that her daughter with four distinctions in her A-level examination could not gain admission to the NUS to study pharmacy.

Perhaps it is time to upgrade our oldest polytechnic, Singapore Poly, to a full-fledged university with courses for our students who aspire to become pharmacists.

This converted university could also run courses for external degrees like those awarded by the University of London. It could cater to the needs of full-time, part-time and mature students.

I also welcome the news that the current Singapore Pharmacy Board (SPB) will be converted into a new statutory body known as the Singapore Pharmacy Council (SPC).

The SPB was established under the Pharmacists Registration Act 1979 as the registration and disciplinary body for pharmacists in Singapore.

Foreign-trained pharmacists who want to register with the SPB need to undergo a period of training of three months in an approved training centre and also sit for a compulsory examination relating to Pharmacy Laws in Singapore.

There is no provision for a course in pharmaceutical ethics for pharmacists vis-a-vis doctors and other drug and health personnel.

Perhaps the SPC, when it is established, could look into this problem that has been plaguing the pharmaceutical industry and the Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries in the last decade.

In the United States, it is an open secret that drug companies usually target the "detailing sessions" that the firms use to inform doctors about new drugs to also ply them with special benefits, ranging from free air tickets to expensive gifts like cars and computers.

Consumer health advocates are worried that this may encourage doctors to unnecessarily recommend more expensive drugs for their patients.

The SPC should also look into ways to resolve the problem of the pharmaceutical industry, which will time and again try all sorts of ingenious ways to grease the palms of its honourable members.

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So many news suddenly haha. Medical hub siazzz