PSS E-Bulletin October 2014 | Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore

What's Happening

E-Bulletin

The Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA) recently held the 25th FAPA Congress in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, from 8^th – 12^th October 2014, coinciding with the celebration of their fiftieth year. The theme of the congress was "Expanding The Pharmacists' Role in Wellness and Sustainable Health".

As usual, the Congress brought together pharmacists, pharmaceutical researchers, academics, practitioners, pharmacy students and industry players within the profession in and outside Asia to interact and share their researched findings and knowledge to fuel the need of the fastest growing health-care profession in Asia.

Singapore was represented by a total of 13 delegates at this event, with representatives from PSS, the Young Pharmacist Chapter (YPC) of PSS, as well as pharmacists from various practice settings, including hospital pharmacy and the industry.

The event had several key highlights. Scientific sessions featured renowned speakers from many countries including the UK, USA, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and more. Singapore was represented by our Chief Pharmacist, Ms Lita Chew, presenting on the topic "Pharmacists and Sustainable Knowledge on Medication Safety". There were also oral presentations by Dr Camilla Wong from the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), who shared on the "Development and Implementation of a Career Development Pathway and Competency Framework at SingHealth: A 7-year Journey", and by Ms Angelina Tan, also from SGH, who spoke about the "Review of Best Practices for Next-Generation SengKang Health Pharmacy".

Mr Ng Cheng Tiang was re-elected to the Federation of Asia Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA) bureau as Vice President for another term. Our congratulations to Mr Anson Lim who was elected as the Vice President of the Asian Young Pharmacist Group (AYPG).

There were also several social events including the spectacular Opening Ceremony, when the key note address was delivered by the Malaysian Minister of Health. The Sabah Chief Minister then officiated the Opening Ceremony. Our PSS President, Ms Miko Thum, represented Singapore as the Chief Delegate at this ceremony. A Welcome Reception was then held that night, introducing delegates to Sabah - known as the Land Below the Wind. The Guest-of -Honour was the State's Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment, who is also the host of the Reception.

On the second night, the Lord Mayor of Kota Kinabalu hosted all the delegates to a seafood dinner at the event of Friendship Night, where we got to enjoy Sabah's famous seafood as well as performances by the various member countries. During this event, Ms Miko Thum, our PSS President, received a token of appreciation as Chief Delegate for Singapore.

The Grand Finale was the Gala Banquet held on 11th October. This event also served to celebrate 50 years since the inception of FAPA, and 25^th time that the Congress has been held.

During the Gala Banquet, the FAPA Bureau for the upcoming term was also sworn in, with Mr Ng Cheng Tiang assuming the position of Vice-President for a second term of four years.

In closing, the Congress served as a good platform for pharmacists from the region and beyond to share their experiences with one another. Delegates were able to tap on ideas from one another and bring these ideas back to their home countries for the betterment of the profession. Besides the information exchange, we also fostered closer ties with our counterparts from all over Asia. In the words of Datuk Nancy Ho, President of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) cum Organizing Chairman of the 25th FAPA Congress 2014, the Congress was truly a chance of a life time to relearn, relax, recharge and rejuvenate.

Young Pharmacists Chapter Joins the Asian Young Pharmacist Group @ the 25th FAPA Congress

During the 25^th FAPA Congress in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, the Asian Young Pharmacist Group (AYPG) held their 2nd Asian YPG Council & Business Meeting. Representing the Young Pharmacists Chapter (YPC) of the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS) at the meeting were Mr Anson Lim and Mr Ong Kheng Yong. During the meeting, YPC of PSS officially joined as the latest member of the AYPG. With Singapore now on board alongside Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan, the number of member organisations in the AYPG grew to seven.

The AYPG was formed in 2012 when the pioneering group of young pharmacists realised the need for and potential in greater collaboration and networking between young pharmacists across Asia, with an aim to empower young pharmacists and develop them into leaders in the profession. In turn, it is hoped that this would improve practice standards and bring the profession to a brighter future. We share in this vision of the AYPG and hope that our joining of the group will bring about mutual benefit to the profession in Singapore and the countries of our AYPG counterparts.

Apart from sharing sessions about the latest developments in the profession from each member country, the meeting also saw the formation of the new AYPG Bureau for 2014-2016. Mr Alston Tsai (Taiwan) officially took over as Chairperson, as Mr Jack Shen Lim (Malaysia) became the Immediate Past Chairperson. The member countries also elected Mr Bryan Posadas (the Philippines) as the Chairperson-Elect. Finally, Ms Audrey Clarissa (Indonesia), Ms Yoko Nanaumi (Japan) and Mr Anson Lim (Singapore) were elected as Vice Presidents.

The proceedings of the meeting were also observed by delegates from Cambodia and Hong Kong. It is hoped that these countries would be able to join as official members of the AYPG in the near future after they have formed their Young Pharmacist Group in their countries!

In addition to the meetings, we were also able to meet and mingle with many other young pharmacists from the other member countries at the Congress and its various events, particularly at the Friendship Night on 10^th October, as well as the Gala Banquet on 11^th October. There was even time for us to put up an impromptu dance performance during the Friendship Night, led by Ms Nanumi from Japan!

Written by: Mr Anson Lim and Mr Ong Kheng Yong

From the Young Pharmacists Chapter - Post Autumn Mooncake Making Workshop

Following up on its first event (Sports Day), the Young Pharmacists Chapter (YPC) held a second event to foster closer social ties amongst all in the pharmacy profession. This time, the event was a mooncake making session, dubbed the "End Autumn Festival Celebration". The event was open to all pharmacists, as well as our students from NUS Pharmaceutical Society, and was a cozy affair at PSS's very own conference room, with almosty 30 participants.

Preparatory work started early in the afternoon, with the committee's members getting

into action to set up the venue and also test out the recipes on their own, under the

directions of the "master chef", Ms Cindy Chew. By the time the participants started

streaming in at close to 7pm, the ingredients have already been pre-prepared. After a

mingling session over sumptuous finger food, the mooncake making commenced!

A quick briefing was followed by the mooncake making proper, with our participants guided by the various committee members. Not that they needed much help - many of the participants grasped the steps very quickly and proceeded to churn out mooncakes of various designs, using the various moulds provided. There were even customised recipes, making use of alternative ingredients such as Milo powder!

Special thanks to everyone who has supported this second event. Special shoutout to the NUS students and pre-registration pharmacists who turned up as well. We hope everyone had a good time learning how to make mooncakes, and left the event with happy tummies filled with red bean snowskin mooncakes. We hope to see you again at future YPC events!

Written by: Mr Ong Kheng Yong and Mr Anson Lim

NUS Medical Society Public Health Screening 2014

For the first time, a pharmacist consultation booth was introduced at the NUS Medical Society's annual Public Health Screening (PHS).

General information about PHS:

PHS is an annual project organised by the NUS Medical Society which aims to raise health awareness amongst Singapore’s public. Now into its 9th year, the project has established itself as one of the largest free public health screenings and has been featured on various media platforms. The project is held free of charge and has 3 main components, including health promotion, health screening and follow-up.

PHS 2014 was held on 11 and 12 October 2014 at Clementi Central. The event managed to screen more than 1400 participants with a team of 530 student volunteers, supevisors, phlebotomists, nurses, pharmacists and personnel. The medical screening component included-body mass index (BMI), blood pressure measurement, fasting venous glucose and cholesterol (Phlebotomy), breast cancer education, faecal Immunochemical Test kit (FIT), geriatric component for visual impairment and fall risk assessment, questionnaire for the identification of risk factors for chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer and urinary incontinence. Participants then discussed any abnormalities detected with volunteer doctors paired with senior medical students at the free consultation booths.

This year, a Pharmacy Consultation booth was introduced for the benefit of the participants going through health screening. The aim is to allow participants to have a better understanding of their medications (indication, dosage regimen, contraindications, when to seek help for adverse reactions).