'Provider of care in the community’ - National Board recognises special day for pharmacists

21 Sep 2016

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board) has commended Australia’s 29,600* pharmacists for their important contribution to the health and wellbeing of the Australian community as part of World Pharmacists Day.

World Pharmacists Day is being marked worldwide on Sunday 25 September 2016, with this year’s theme being ‘Pharmacists: Caring for you’.

‘Every community has access to a pharmacist, through their local pharmacy or hospital, making pharmacists one of the most visible and accessible health professionals for the public. This year’s theme reflects this,’ said Board Chair William Kelly, to mark the special day.

The theme reflects the important role of pharmacists in providing care to the public, and how the role has evolved from being a provider of medicines to that of a provider of care. This is evident in the decision of governments nationally to authorise trained pharmacists to administer vaccines to patients.

World Pharmacists Day, now in its sixth year, is an opportunity to highlight the contribution of pharmacists to the provision of accessible, high quality healthcare services and advice.

Mr Kelly continued, ‘The Board would like to say thank you to those pharmacists who are providing such services.’

The Board plays a key role in regulating pharmacists in the public interest through exercising its functions under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law), and the health and safety of the public is at the core its work.

The Board sets out the registration standards that establish the requirements for pharmacists to be registered to practise competently and safely in Australia. It also publishes codes and guidelines for pharmacists and maintains the register of pharmacists which can be accessed from the home page.

Meeting the Board’s requirements for registration and practice, including completion of the annual continuing professional development requirements, maintaining professional indemnity insurance arrangements and complying with all Board registration standards, codes and guidelines, supports safe delivery of important services by pharmacists to the public.

‘On this special day we acknowledge the importance of ongoing engagement between the Board and the profession about delivery of healthcare to the public and achieving safe outcomes,’ Mr Kelly concluded.

William Kelly
Chair
Pharmacy Board of Australia

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

* As at March 2016