Portugal supports Mozambique in the use of medicines

The Portuguese Pharmacists' Association will support the training of pharmacists in Mozambique, in the creation of communication programs on the importance of these professionals and the correct use of medicines, it was announced this Monday.

“There will be ongoing training activities, workshops, seminars and some online or in-person courses depending on the subject and nature of the training, as well as the dissemination of information to society,” said the president of the Association of Pharmacists of Mozambique (Afarmo), Bélia Muchanga, in statements to Lusa.

The protocol signed in Maputo is an understanding for collaboration between Afarmo, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (Anarme) and the Portuguese Pharmacists' Association, with the latter helping Mozambican professionals develop concrete actions to regulate the sector, as also stated by Bélia Muchanga.

“What the Order [of Pharmacists of Portugal] will do is pass on all the experience it has in the process of disseminating information to society and this ongoing training. And these programs will be prepared jointly; what is in Portugal will not be transferred to Mozambique; we have to take reality into account,” explained the president of Afarmo.

In addition to training Mozambican professionals in the creation of specific communication programs for radio and television, including digital platforms, Portugal will help the country in raising awareness about the importance of pharmacists and the rational use of medicines, including combating self-medication.

Bélia Muchanga also said that part of the protocol includes helping to develop educational messages to be shared in health units on the same topics.

In addition to presiding over Afarmo, Bélia Muchanga last year assumed the presidency of the Association of Pharmacists of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (AFPLP), which includes more than 400,000 professionals from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe, member countries.

Among the main challenges facing the sector at the level of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), Muchanga added that curricular harmonization is a highlight, as well as encouraging people to enroll in the course in some countries where there has been little demand.

“All member countries have completely different realities in their health systems, but professionals must carry out the same actions in all these countries, which is why we are carrying out this curricular assessment in order to technically standardize these professionals,” said the person in charge.

In the specific case of Mozambique, Muchanga pointed out the lack of specialization courses as the biggest challenge: “this limits pharmacists. Having specific training would make it easier to integrate us even further into the national health system itself .”

He also argued that, in Mozambique, there are problems with access to employment opportunities for pharmacists and others related to the Single Salary Table (TSU). Muchanga hopes for a better approach after the launch of the ongoing study on the condition of pharmacists in the country and the formalization of the Mozambican Order of Professionals.

Mozambique does not yet have an Order of Pharmacists, but Afarmo and Aname are moving forward with the creation of statutes to ensure its formalization by 2026, the year in which the country will host a congress of CPLP pharmacists.

The Association of Pharmacists of Mozambique (Afarmo) has 250 members, out of a total of 1,700 pharmacists registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (Anarme), according to data provided by Bélia Muchanga.