Ensuring the safe, accurate and legal dispensing of medications in Jamaica
Published:Friday | February 1, 2019 | 12:38 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
The Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica wishes to remind our patients and the general public of the important role of pharmacists in helping to ensure the safe, accurate, and legal dispensing of medications and the provision of pharmacy services to you.
The Pharmacy Act of Jamaica governs who should dispense, store, and offer for sale medications and where these should be stored.
Pharmacists are the only health professionals who are licensed under the Pharmacy Act to be in charge of medications for distribution and retail sale at the request of a licensed prescriber. The act separates the roles of the medical doctor and the pharmacist. These medications must be stored for sale in a duly registered pharmacy under the supervision of a registered pharmacist as specified in the Pharmacy Act.
The society, therefore, views with great concern the increasing reports from members of prescriptions being filled and offered for sale by persons not authorised to do so. This puts the patients at serious risk from errors from dispensing, the risk of counterfeit or otherwise unfit medications being dispensed, and many other costly disastrous consequences. Please protect yourself by accepting prescriptions from licensed prescribers and having these prescriptions filled only by licensed pharmacists at licensed pharmacies.
The Pharmacy Act requires that persons so authorised must display their current licence from the Pharmacy Council of Jamaica. The Pharmacy Act also requires that any shop licensed as a pharmacy and legally authorised to store or offer for sale any medication from List 2, 3, or 4 must have the current licence visibly displayed for the public.
The society is, therefore, asking all members of the public to be vigilant in protecting your health and the health of your loved ones. Before you purchase medications from a prescription, ask to see the relevant licences. Further, we want to encourage you not to purchase drugs that are not properly labelled and packaged!
DR ERNESTINE WATSON
President Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica