The Community Pharmacy Division (CPD) of Pharmaceutical Services Department is the unit responsible for the delivery of pharmacy services at thirty-five (35) Rural/District Health Clinics, three (3) Polyclinics, five (5) Rural/District Hospitals, the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre and the Lewis Punnett Home. The CPD Unit has approximately fourteen (14) pharmacists that are deployed across St. Vincent & the Grenadines to staff district pharmacies on varying days of the week. Districts Pharmacists are core members of the Primary Health Care (PHC) team that aims to:
• Promote the prevention and improve the management of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs) such as Hypertension and Diabetes by ensuring that appropriate, safe and adequate medications are supplied to persons with CNCDs.
• Provide patient counselling to give comprehensive guidance on medication use, dosing, route of administration, side effects and impress the importance of medication adherence.
• Promote and monitor the rational use of antibiotic drugs and other acute care drug therapies in the PHC setting.
• Disseminate evidence-based pharmaceutical information to physicians and other healthcare practitioners/professionals to guide their treatment strategies.
• Empower patients to share responsibility for their healthcare by monitoring their numbers such as blood pressure readings and blood glucose levels.
District Pharmacists are trusted in the communities where they operate and are committed to provide optimal pharmaceutical care to the many patients that they serve. They will listen to any concerns patients may express about medication use and document any adverse drug reaction experience a patient may wish to report. District Pharmacists offer additional services such as Medication Use Reviews and Medication Reconciliation to better assist patients with the management of their medications especially if they have to take multiple medications on a daily basis.