THE FACULTY of Pharmacy voiced its opposition to the Medical Bill of 2002, which allows doctors to dispense drugs.
Pharmacy Dean Dr. Rosalinda Solevilla led the Faculty in submitting the position paper to Sen. Tessie Oreta, author of the bill.
The paper pointed out the distinct role of pharmacists and cited existing rules such as Administrative Order No. 62, Sec 1-3, which states that, “dispensing is the act by a validly registered pharmacist of filling a prescription or doctor’s order on the patient’s chart.”
The paper also tackled the pharmacists’ academic preparation and training such as pharmaceutical calculations, biopharmaceutics, pharmacology and therapeutics which make them the experts and not the doctors in the dispensing of drugs.
The reasons cited by the Faculty that only pharmacists should dispense are as follows:
1. Pharmacists help ensure that drugs under their supervision meet acceptable levels of stability which plays an important role in the delivery of quality pharmaceutical services to the patient.
2. Pharmacists identify products which are designed to be stored under various environmental conditions.
3. Pharmacists observe products carefully for evidence of degradation (alterations in color, odor, formation of precipitate/cloudiness) when they dispense medications.
4. Pharmacists are proficient in the choice of containers, proper labeling and packaging materials required and
5. Pharmacists are proficient in generic names, brand names, and the quality of the manufactured drugs. Brix Gil M. Bayuga
