Twenty-two persons have graduated from the Ministry of Health’s Phar-macy Assistant Programme in Region Two.
The training programme consisted of four modules, three of which were classroom sessions and one practical attachment session which involved clinical supervision.
According to the programme’s administrator, Teddy Ramkissoon, sixteen students passed with distinction, four of whom obtained a perfect score of 4.0 while five passed with credit. Ramkissoon said that despite the challenges, the students excelled in the programme which was offered for the first time in the region. The best graduating student was Mesasha Ramdass, first runner-up Mark Fernandes, second runner-up Keneeza Trim and third runner-up Zoya Alphonso. The programme commenced on October, 31, 2022 and lasted six months. Transportation, accommodation and a stipend were provided to the participants.
Delivering the feature address at the graduation ceremony, held at Jaigobin Hotel, Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said that the Ministry of Health is providing numerous academic opportunities for persons to pursue a career in the medical field. He said that the Government, through his Ministry, is offering scholarships to persons who desire to upgrade their skills. With the construction of 12 new hospitals across the country, the Minister said that more trainees will be needed in the medical field. He said that building human capacity in the sector is important. Anthony said that the new pharmacy assistants will be placed at various health centres in the region with a starting salary of $100,000. “We need to have people and place them strategically at the health centres so that they can provide the service to our people,” he commented.
Dr. Anthony said that due to a lack of expertise in the system, millions of dollars of expired drugs had to be dumped in the past. He said that he inherited that system, which he has had to fix, and said that with trained persons, better accountability can be expected in terms of managing and dispensing of the medical drugs. He urged the graduates to continue to upgrade their skills and to upgrade their knowledge by moving upward in their career path. The newly certified and licensed pharmacy assistants are expected to monitor all drug supplies to the region, according to Anthony.
Best graduating student, Ramdass, said that she was happy she enrolled for the classes and said she learnt a lot. Ramdass said she is happy to have chosen pharmacy as her career path. She said some of the days were challenging but overall it was a good experience. Regional Health Officer, Dr. Ranjeev Singh said it was a historic day as it was the first time that the region has successfully trained persons in the field of pharmacy. He congratulated the graduates and urged them to continue to study. He told the graduates that they are now part of the region’s health care service and are expected to serve with humility and respect.
Deputy Director for the Division of Health Sciences Education, Chandroutie Persaud, also used the opportunity to congratulate the class and said that the batch made Region Two proud. Regional Vice Chairman, Humace Oodit, said that the region was proud to have hosted such a programme and urged more young people to get on board for the next programme.
