Pharmacists can Contribute Significantly to Different Tasks Essential for Quality TB Care

Pharmacists can Contribute Significantly to Different Tasks Essential for Quality TB Care

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is the global federation of national associations of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists responsible for meeting the needs and expectations of the profession in expanding healthcare services and integrating emerging scientific developments while advocating the role of the pharmacist in the provision of healthcare.

To order to greatly increase the role of pharmacists in TB care and control globally, FIP has been focusing its work across three main areas:

1. Advocacy

2. Scaling up of public/private mix approaches

3. Improving rational use of anti-TB medicines

On World TB Day 2011, FIP intensified its global commitment to stimulate national and local efforts aimed at full involvement of pharmacists in TB care and control by announcing a series of new initiatives.

In particular, we would like to bring your attention to the first ever FIP TB Challenge Round 1. This is a competitive grant for national pharmacy professional associations and national pharmacy student associations to submit project proposals on innovative approaches to target the following interventions:

•Early identification of TB suspects and referral activities for diagnosis thereby reducing delays in diagnosis, saving costs of care and contributing to increasing case detection.

•Support delivery of DOTS treatment focusing on training of pharmacists and patient adherence, so as to enhance treatment success, reducing defaults and contributing to cutting the disease transmission.

•Improving rational use of anti-TB medicines and contributing to preventing emergence of drug resistance.

•Public education and communication campaigns on TB and MDR-TB awareness

Up to 5 proposals will be funded for national pharmacy professional associations, each of the value between 5000 to 10000 USD.

Up to 5 proposals will be funded for national pharmacy student associations, each of the value between 1000 to 3000 USD.

The FIP Challenge Round 1 will be for the period of 2011 to 2012 only. The dateline for submission of applications is 31st May 2011, 5pm, CET.

Applicants would be expected to describe proposed interventions for funding, while considering, inter alia, technical issues, cost-effectiveness, feasibility, sustainability and impact.

Please find attached the TB Challenge Application Forms and for more information, please visit the FIP website: www.fip.org/tb

You may also request for more information by emailing to: [email protected]

Thanks for your attention and we hope to serve the collective needs of TB patients around the world through strengthening the capacity of pharmacists and standards of pharmacy practice.

Please also feel free to disseminate this information to relevant parties.