The recently concluded FIP Congress in Basel has proved that this event is still the only truly global congress for the pharmaceutical practitioners and scientists where every sections of pharmacy is still under one roof.

Singapore hosted this major event in 2001 and the memories of Singapore Heartbeat still reverberate amongst the many delegates who attended the FIP then. That said, in terms of participation from Singapore, we have always never been very able to send bigger delegation. There were only 4 pharmacists from Singapore who attended the Congress in Basel. It’s not very difficult to understand why, viz. the costs, the distance and to some extent the perceived relevance of the contents if we may put it diplomatically. It has always not been easy to have “one size fits all” event, and this is further accentuated at the meeting this scale.

Having said that, FIP has now attempted to remake its practice and Bureau of Pharmaceutical Practice has organized the inaugural Global Conference on the Future of Hospital Pharmacy as a pre-congress event. There were more than 300 delegates and the conference ended with adoption of a consensus statement which will serve as guidance.

At the opening ceremony.

During the 5-day congress, about 3,000 delegates registered in this event, perhaps a tad smaller than last year’s when Beijing hosted the event. Our Past President – Ng Cheng Tiang – spoke in one of the sessions on theme of Advocating Pharmacy. He shared with the audience the pharmacy practice situation in Singapore and stressed the importance of staying patient-centric in our services.

Separately, Annie Siau – a pharmacist with the Singapore Arm Forces presented on the topic “Improving the medicine dispensing process in the SAF”. It is interesting to note that the there is an internationally active group of pharmacists under the FIP Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section.

Old friends from Japan.

The Singapore trio - Ang Hue Gek, Chan Xuan Hao & wife.

Another PSS member, Goh Zhining has also contributed to the FIP by co-chairing one of the symposia on Clinical Hospital Pharmacy Practice – from Dreams to Reality and Beyond. Zhining has always been very active with IPSF and continued to enrich herself through the wide network of the IPFS grouping whose cohort has now already graduated and many still remain very active through the IPSF and FIP platforms.

Singapore gang & friends from Brunei & Shanghai..

The Congress is not purely conferences, symposia, workshops etc., it is a perfect place to meet old friends from the whole world, get to meet new friends and update each other about practice, policies, development of trends, work force issues and education etc. The welcome dinner was a great adventure out in the Basel Zoo! It was an interesting concept and surely will remains as one of the most memorable experiences delegates brought home from the pharma capital of the world.

Friends at the Basel Zoo, ready for dinner !

PSS Past President with FIP President & Rey Umali & wife.

Next year, Turkey will welcome pharmacists from the world over as Istanbul plays host to the 69th FIP Congress. 

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