Overvue
The National Pharmacy Council (NPC) has resolved to introduce continuing professional development (CPD) for pharmacists and other persons registered with the Council who have completed the relevant qualification required for purposes of registration It is a professional obligation for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to remain informed about the profession in scientific, social and legal terms and to maintain a level of competence sufficient to provide pharmaceutical services, including pharmaceutical care, effectively and efficiently. CPD must address emerging health needs and be relevant to the health priorities of the country.
WHAT IS CPD?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can be defined as ongoing learning, or means by which persons maintains, broadens and improves their professional competence throughout t their working life. NPC’s intention is mainly to ensure that persons registered remain committed to being professionals, keeping up to date and continuously seeking to improve their knowledge and optimising themselves on their career opportunities, both current and for future endeavors/undertakings. CPD enables registered persons to develop in their area of practice and demonstrate competence.
Why is CPD Necessary?
Pharmacists and pharmacy assistants are health care professionals whose professional responsibilities include seeking to ensure that people derive maximum therapeutic benefit from their treatment with medicines. This obligation requires them to keep abreast of developments in pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical sciences, professional standards requirements, the laws governing pharmacy and medicines and advances in knowledge and technology relating to the use of medicines. This can only be achieved by an individual’spersonal commitment to continuing professional development. Patients have a right to be confident that all professionals providing health care remaincompetent throughout theirprofessional working lives. The mandate for the Council as the regulatory authority is to protect the public. Council must ensure that registered persons undertake CPD to maintain their competence. CPD will assist Council to identify pharmacy personnel who have been unable to maintain their competence to practise. Implementation of CPD will improve the knowledge and skills of registered persons, and improve the quality.
Who Must Participate in CPD ?
All persons registered with the Council who have completed the relevant qualification and who perform any one or more of the functions which fall within the scope of practice of the category in which they are registered.
Mandatory CPD ?
According to the law No 45/2012 of 14/01/2013 and internal rules and regulations of NPC, the council has the obligation to put in place a training system for each pharmacy professional to enhance his/her knowledge on an ongoing basis. Within this framework, the council through his technical committee should organise the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for pharmacy professionals. Therefore, every practitioner must maintain and update his/her knowledge. He/she must take all the necessary steps to participate in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Indeed, each pharmacy professional must obtain the minimum score of 25 CPD credits every year to be duly authorized to practice pharmacy profession.
