[vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1602488691191{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css_animation=”slideInUp” width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”13656″ img_size=”500×500″ alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Director and Pharmacist from City Wellness Pharmacy, Gina Koay Wan Lee ” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:left”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_text_separator title=”” color=”black” border_width=”3″][vc_custom_heading text=”How have pharmacists helped the community during the Covid-19 pandemic?” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:34px|text_align:center|color:%23ed1c24|line_height:34px” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css_animation=”appear”][ultimate_fancytext strings_textspeed=”350″ strings_backspeed=”0″ fancytext_tag=”h3″ fancytext_strings=”By Ridzvaani Nagarajen
” strings_font_style=”font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;” strings_font_size=”desktop:15px;” fancytext_color=”#ed1c24″ strings_font_family=”font_family:Montserrat|font_call:Montserrat|variant:regular”][vc_text_separator title=”” color=”black” border_width=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1602492080055{padding-right: 40px !important;padding-left: 40px !important;}”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”2em”][vc_column_text]The worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has been a source of unexpected stress and adversity for almost everyone.
In the fight against Covid-19, frontline health workers have been constantly trying to keep the pandemic at bay, but recognition of individual professions’ efforts have been inconsistent, including pharmacists.
We believe that being resilient can help us get through this hardship and that’s what community pharmacists are currently doing. Pharmacists are frontliners too as they continuously try to help the community as much as they can and will continue to do so. To add on, community pharmacists have played some serious roles and they’re probably the most accessible healthcare practitioners in the community.
However, their duties as a frontliner are often neglected and many still seem to be unaware of the duties of a pharmacist especially during the pandemic.
Well, it’s about to become clearer now as we approached Director and Pharmacist from City Wellness Pharmacy, Gina Koay Wan Lee to find out her point of view in regards to how pharmacists are helping the community in the midst of Covid-19. Here’s what she said:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1597027682459{margin-top: 3% !important;margin-bottom: 3% !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][ultimate_carousel slides_on_desk=”1″ slides_on_tabs=”1″ slides_on_mob=”1″ infinite_loop=”off” autoplay=”off” next_icon=”ultsl-arrow-right2″ prev_icon=”ultsl-arrow-left2″ dots_color=”#ed1c24″ adaptive_height=”on” centermode=”” item_space=”0″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”13650″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602666916263{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp”][info_list_item list_title=”The Role Of Pharmacists In General Has Been Overlooked By The Public. Why Is That?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina Koay Wan Lee: Community pharmacists’ role may sometimes be overlooked by the public as we were often labelled as ‘the shopkeepers’ only. The main reason may be because there wasn’t much awareness on the role of pharmacists in the community prior to Covid-19.
In addition to that, it is not compulsory for the public to get their medications dispensed in the community pharmacy setting, as they can easily get them from other healthcare professional settings such as from their doctors or hospitals.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”Could You Share With Us About A Typical Day In Your Pharmacy In Early 2020 Or Before The Covid-19 Pandemic?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: As mentioned earlier, we were known as the ‘shopkeepers’ of the pharmacy. So, our routine work typically involves upkeeping the stocks of the pharmacy, making sure all controlled medicines are kept in a safe and locked cabinet and all other non-controlled medicines are being arranged in an orderly manner in the many shelves of the pharmacy.
Quote: Community Pharmacists’ Role May Sometimes Be Overlooked By The Public As We Were Often Labelled As ‘the Shopkeepers’ Only.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”13654″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602667234358{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp” css_info_list=”.vc_custom_1602664985958{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][info_list_item list_title=”Compared To Then, How Is Your Practice Different Today? ” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: We are considered lucky to have the pharmacy industry as the “Covid-19-proof industry”. This means our industry is allowed to operate during the pandemic. We supply the essential medications and other Covid-19 necessity items to the public. For instance:
- Hand sanitisers
- Disposable face masks
- Non-contact thermometers
- Home sanitising items
- Health supplements to boost immunity such as Vitamin C and many more.
[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”How Did You And Your Pharmacists Adapt To This Change?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: Well, adapting to the changes was an extremely important procedure. We had to adopt the necessary changes to ensure everyone is kept safe including pharmacists. Some of the changes are:
- Sanitising the premises at all times.
- Temperature checking for staff as well as everyone who walks into the pharmacy.
- Self-sanitising and wearing masks constantly.
- Ensure social and physical distancing is taken seriously when people come into the pharmacy.
- Make sure customers scan and register themselves into the MySejahtera application (app) before they enter our premises.
In addition, we have to make sure that the Covid-19 supplies such as hand sanitisers and face masks are sufficient as they are always in high demand.
At this moment in time, we are trying to educate the public on the Covid-19 vaccine and encourage them to sign up for the program. Apart from that, we also continue to inform and guide the public on the importance of using MySejahtera app and how they can log in and sign up for the vaccination.
Plus, we also give out information on the expectation of the vaccines too.
Quote: At This Moment In Time, We Are Trying To Educate The Public On The Covid-19 Vaccine And Encourage Them To Sign Up For The Program.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”13653″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602667234358{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp” css_info_list=”.vc_custom_1602664985958{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][info_list_item list_title=”What Are The Key Responsibilities Of Community Pharmacists Amidst Covid-19?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: There are many key responsibilities of community pharmacists amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the responsibilities include:
- Supporting the public in areas of health education awareness on Covid-19 Education on preventing Covid-19 as well as vaccination.
- The community may feel free to drop by any community pharmacies and clear up their doubts in regards to Covid-19 at any time.
[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”What Changes Do You See As Positive And Potentially Worth Preserving In The Future? ” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: Specifically, the role of the community pharmacists in the private community setting has been raised. This means that the public are more aware that community pharmacists are more than just ‘shopkeepers’. In the near future, community pharmacists may be able to provide vaccination services to the public.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”13655″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1602667234358{margin-top: 3% !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][info_list font_size_icon=”24″ eg_br_width=”1″ connector_animation=”fadeInUp” css_info_list=”.vc_custom_1602664985958{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][info_list_item list_title=”Do You Think People Are More Aware Of The Role Of Community Pharmacists Due To Covid-19? ” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: Yes, certainly! I personally believe that people have been more aware of the role of community pharmacists now. We hope this continues as we are willing to help the community with every concern they have in regards to health and well-being as well as live a better and healthier life.
[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”What Do You Think Are The Future Roles Of Pharmacists After This Pandemic Is Over?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: Public health educator has always been the role of the community pharmacists even before the pandemic. We have been giving health related advice to the public on a routine basis and we will continue to do so.[/info_list_item][info_list_item list_title=”On A Personal Note, How Have You Been Managing Yourself Outside Work Life From The Beginning Of The Pandemic?” list_icon=”Defaults-comments” animation=”fadeInUp”]Gina: For me, it has been very hectic. Certainly, it’s not easy to strike a work-life balance. Nevertheless, I’m extremely lucky to have the support of my family members and staff.
We should all agree that we’re living with a new norm now where many things have been digitised such as:
- Online classes
- Meetings
- Interviews and more
We just have to unlearn, relearn, keep up with all the new norms and changes. Plus, let’s not forget to keep moving forward.[/info_list_item][/info_list][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/ultimate_carousel][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1594189719583{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_text_separator title=”READ MORE” title_align=”separator_align_left” align=”align_right” color=”custom” border_width=”9″ accent_color=”#dd3333″ el_class=”read”][bs-grid-listing-1 columns=”3″ show_excerpt=”1″ title=”” icon=”” hide_title=”0″ heading_color=”” heading_style=”default” category=”14,29,13″ tag=”” count=”3″ post_ids=”” offset=”” featured_image=”0″ ignore_sticky_posts=”1″ author_ids=”” disable_duplicate=”0″ time_filter=”” order=”DESC” order_by=”date” _name_1=”” post_type=”” taxonomy=”” _name_2=”” cats-tags-condition=”and” cats-condition=”in” tags-condition=”in” tabs=”” tabs_cat_filter=”” tabs_tax_filter=”” tabs_content_type=”deferred” paginate=”none” pagination-show-label=”0″ pagination-slides-count=”3″ slider-animation-speed=”750″ slider-autoplay=”1″ slider-speed=”3000″ slider-control-dots=”off” slider-control-next-prev=”style-1″ ad-active=”0″ ad-after_each=”” ad-type=”” ad-banner=”none” ad-campaign=”none” ad-count=”” ad-columns=”1″ ad-orderby=”date” ad-order=”ASC” ad-align=”left” bs-show-desktop=”1″ bs-show-tablet=”1″ bs-show-phone=”1″ custom-css-class=”” custom-id=”” override-listing-settings=”0″ listing-settings=”” bs-text-color-scheme=”” css=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1594697216061{margin-bottom: -10% !important;}” offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_custom_heading text=”5.0″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:60|text_align:right|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_custom_heading text=”Out of” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1594696759538{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”5 Stars” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:22|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1594697016740{margin-top: -6px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1594780415864{margin-bottom: -10% !important;margin-left: -4% !important;}” offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md”][vc_custom_heading text=”5.0″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:45|text_align:center|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1594784592259{margin-bottom: -1% !important;}”][vc_column_text]
Out of
5 Stars
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