Who is a pharmacist?

A pharmacist is that health care professional who prepares and/or produces drugs and in some cases, prescribe the same for
patients use (pharmacist prescriber), administer them to his patients, monitor the pharmacokinetics of the drugs in some cases alongside its pharmacodynamics properties, gives proper instructions and counseling on drug use and their adverse effects. A pharmacist is never angry at the intemperance of a mad patient, nor does he take it ill to be railed at by a man in fever. In fact, whom a pharmacist is depends on the legal scope and professional regulation as obtained in the country where he practice. By training, he is an all rounder as he virtually knows almost everything with regards to drugs and its use in both man and other living things.

I am a pharmacist. Currently, I am doing my one year mandatory internship program at ESUTH teaching hospital in Enugu State, Nigeria. Today, the world pharmacist day, makes it the fourth month I started this program. Do you care to know my experience so far as an intern pharmacist at ESUTH teaching hospital? Then continue reading if yes. For the past four months, I have been working on an empty stomach, trekking to work almost every day as I have not been paid any salary since then. My fellow interns and I are beginning to see a fundamental outrage at the whole interconnected mess of a system. I'm the first to admit this whole salary thing is getting out of control. The multiplier effect of our earned but unpaid salary is real. The interns suffer, the immediate families and dependants suffer, the hospital is worse off for harbouring stress-filled intern pharmacists who are not proud to call themselves appointees. Our lifespans are gradually shortened as most if not all of us have developed peptic ulcer diseases. In the face of all of these, the so-called "chiefs" live in the clouds, do little to redress the hopelessness. Nothing at best advertised the insensitivity of the department to the plight of their interns as the "chiefs" enjoy themselves while the interns do all the work. Of course, to continually demand interns’ loyalty by the chiefs in default is antithetic to any claims of good leadership and in our case, engendered by leadership bankruptcy.

The interns are justified to go on "strike". However, the chief medical director, the head of pharmacy department and all the relevant stakeholders have to find means of redressing this unfortunate development in the shortest time frame because a labourer is deserving of his wages. Owing workers unjustifiably and for no fault of theirs is indefensible; we should be spared the ordeal.

Happy World Pharmacists Day Fellow Men of Honour.

J.E. AGBO, B.Pharm, Pharm.D
A Nigerian Intern Pharmacist



https://ozikspharma.com.ng/2016/09/lamentation-of-intern-pharmacist-who-is.html?m=1

Sorry