Speech by Minister of State for Health & Manpower Dr Amy Khor at the opening ceremony of the 23RD Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 17 Aug 2013

Ms Miko Thum, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore

Ms Ng Hong Yen, Chairperson, 23^rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress Organising Committee

Asst Prof Lita Chew, Chief Pharmacist

Guests and Pharmacists,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good morning to all of you

INTRODUCTION

1.       It gives me great pleasure to be here at the official Opening Ceremony of the 23^rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress.

2.       I understand that this congress is an important annual event organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS) for pharmacists to come together to share recent advances and developments, experiences, and best practices. It is also an opportunity for you to network with one another.

3.       The theme for this year’s conference is “Transforming Pharmacy Practice, Towards New Horizons in Healthcare”. Against an evolving healthcare landscape in Singapore, many challenges lie ahead for all of us.  The theme and sub themes of this congress are therefore very apt. -- the emerging and expanding roles that pharmacists can play to meet the needs of our community and value-add to the healthcare team, even as we work towards the Healthcare 2020 vision of improving the quality, accessibility and affordability of healthcare to meet the needs of the Singapore population. 

4.       Our ageing and growing population, coupled with the changing lifestyles of Singaporeans, poses significant challenges to the healthcare system in Singapore. These include the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, complications from polypharmacy, and higher hospital admission rates and longer length of stay.  Accordingly, strategies to advocate healthy living for disease prevention, prevention of hospital admissions, as well as effective chronic disease management are critical. We need a transformation in healthcare delivery and a remodelling of practice across the acute, intermediate, and long-term care sectors. I believe pharmacists will play a vital role in this transformation across all healthcare sectors, given your expertise in medication management and as advocates of healthy living and disease prevention. This will contribute to a more robust healthcare system to meet the evolving needs.

 ROLE OF PHARMACISTS IN HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION AND REMODELLING

5.       Being equipped with a strong clinical foundation, expertise in the use of medication, and a wide variety of skill sets, pharmacists are well-positioned to drive and support changes to improve care delivery. I am glad to know that the Pharmacy profession is aligned with, and strongly supporting, MOH’s Healthcare 2020 vision, with the various initiatives that have been started by the different pharmacy practice sectors.

6.       Let me now talk about the significant roles that pharmacists can play to optimise the care and outcomes of patients and the general public as we move towards effective care remodeling and integration.

Reaching Out into the Community

7.       While we increase our capacity in anticipation of increasing patient load by increasing the number of beds and building more hospitals, what is more important is to keep our public and patients healthy at home and away from hospitals.  I am heartened to learn that there is an increasing number of pharmacy outreach programs conducted by hospital and community pharmacists around Singapore, where pharmacists visit patients with chronic diseases at home to help better manage their medications and improve compliance and hence reduce hospital readmissions. For example, the pharmacists of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital are involved in the Alexandra Health System “Ageing-in-Place” program where they visit patients with recurrent admissions at home together with community nurses to help identify and manage potential drug-related problems. These services will increase the accessibility of care, and may help to prevent hospital readmissions due to medication-related adverse events. On the same note, I am delighted to know that the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore is also taking the lead in reaching out into the community on various platforms via partnerships with external agencies. For example, in June this year, the Society organized a talk at Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities Senior Services in Taman Jurong, one of the pilot sites under the City For All Ages project. This talk conducted in Mandarin, was educational and interesting, and the seniors at the Centre gained more knowledge of their medicines. The Society also provides educational talks to the public on safe medication use and conducts medication reviews. All these initiatives increase the accessibility of pharmacists to the public, and where you can be seen as their trusted healthcare partners.

 Enhancing Pharmaceutical Care with Expanded Practice Roles

8.       With the growing emphasis on integrated care, pharmacists have taken on expanded practice roles by managing patients in pharmacists-led ambulatory clinics, providing medication therapy management services, therapeutic consultations and patient monitoring. There is also active collaboration in inter-professional teams to manage specific medication-related problems. In these clinics, pharmacists also play a key role in patient education on their drug regimes, to ensure best outcomes from safe and proper use of medications as well as improved medication adherence. For example, I am excited to hear that the “Sweet Spot” programme run by NTUC Unity Healthcare, in collaboration with NUS Department of Pharmacy, to help advise patients on hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia has  been a success, and will expand to a fourth location at Tampines.

 Building Capacity and Capabilities to Provide Specialised Care for Complex Cases

9.       At last year’s congress, Minister Gan announced on this platform that the Ministry is looking at accreditation of specialist pharmacists to provide specialised care for complex cases in tertiary hospitals, in the areas of Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Cardiology, Geriatrics and Psychiatry. I understand that this is one of the first such developments towards pharmacist specialisation in the world. I am pleased to share that so far, 23 pharmacists have been accredited by the Pharmacy Specialists Accreditation Board. We are right now in the developmental phase of building capacity, by providing structured and robust training programs. Pharmacy residency programs in Pharmacotherapy as well as in various specialties such as Geriatric and Psychiatry are underway. These programs offer comprehensive training for pharmacists to fully develop and hone their clinical skills, in order to provide the highest-level of clinical care to patients.

 Pharmacists in Science and Research

 10.     I am also very proud to learn that pharmacists are embracing the challenges of translational research, right here in Singapore which is the regional biomedical hub. Research feeds and shapes the way medicine is being practised, and is indeed a key to advances in medicine and patient care. Research, such as in the area of Infectious Disease by the Singapore General Hospital pharmacy researchers, has translated useful results from bench to bedside, to optimise management of patients with infections with multi-drug resistant pathogens. I encourage more pharmacists to rise up to the challenges of creating breakthroughs and discovering new evidence that would impact practice and improve patient outcomes.

 CONCLUSION

11.     As we enter a new phase of healthcare for Singaporeans, changing the way we work and what we do is necessary. Pharmacists will have to collaborate more closely and effectively within and beyond the pharmacy community to provide patient-centric and holistic care. I urge you to play an active role in aligning your practices with the vision of Healthcare 2020, and specifically towards improving the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare to meet the growing needs of Singaporeans. In closing, let me thank the organising committee and the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore for your hard work in hosting this event. I wish you all a successful congress, and a meaningful, fulfilling, and enjoyable weekend here.

Thank you.