MANILA, April 16, 2013—To protect people from unnecessary risks while taking medicines that are sold over the counter, the Philippine Pharmacists Association (PPA) urged Church pharmacies to hire even one pharmacist.
Some dioceses have opened a “Botika ng Simbahan”—an outreach that gives the poor greater access to medicines at an affordable price.
Dr. Yolanda Robles, the executive vice-president of PPA said Republic Act 5921 states that every pharmacy, either big or small, should have a pharmacist.
“The ‘botika ng simbahan’ of the Church is also classified as a botika ng baranggay which is a program of the Department of Health that sell over the counter and cheaper medicines. So in order to protect all of us citizens who need to intake a certain medicine, it is best that every pharmacy in the country should have a pharmacist working,” Robles said in a Church forum today.
Robles however stressed that they are willing to partner with the Catholic Church in teaching hired workers for the “botika ng simbahan” on how to handle medicine and sell it rightly.
“We are aware that over the counter medicines like antibiotics can be bought without drug prescription. So there is a tendency that the person who bought certain over the counter medicine can take it and be overdosed. We are always here to help the Church train personnel who sell over the counter medicines to also give advice on how many dosage to take, etc.,” Robles added.
She pointed out that they have no intention of stopping the “botika ng simbahan” that sells medicine without a pharmacist in their staff.
“All we want is to help them train pharmacy personnel to know how to sell over the counter medicines,” Robles furthered. (Jandel Posion with reports from Regine Villalon)
