A pharmacist by the understanding of most is someone who typically takes a request for medicines, evaluates the appropriateness of the prescription and dispenses the medication.

Registered Pharmacist, Sandra Khan- Manickchand, inside ‘Medicine Express’

However, in an interview with registered pharmacist and entrepreneur, Sandra Khan- Manickchand, posits that the role of a pharmacist is much more than this.

Khan- Manickchand is in the second year of establishing her self and commercial operation, ‘Medicine Express’, and holds the view that present day pharmacists should be more responsible with their duties since it is a service that lives depend on.

“You must have someone behind the counter but the role of the pharmacist is to explain to people why they take their medications, what it is for, the names and strength of the medication,” she said.

She explained that the majority of the Guyanese population visit pharmacies where there may not be properly trained personnel to attend to them.

This, Khan-Manickchand noted, adds to the ignorance of the population relative to pharmaceutical commodities.

“In many cases people are unaware of what they are taking and then they get sick and can even die…Illnesses like diabetes and hypertension are treatable diseases that people should not die from but people need to understand their illness,” she said.

According to the specialist, a pharmacist plays a key role in assisting persons to understanding the latter.

“People go into a pharmacy and may asks for an pink tablet or and egg shaped tablet, often they do not know the names of their drugs….They buy at the time because they have money and then don’t take it for another few months…A pharmacist explains to them and helps them to understand,” Khan- Manickchand.

She reiterated that people should be made aware of what they are taking, why and the consequences of taking a specific drug.

The registered pharmacist observed that the Guyanese public is receptive to information and is open to learning.

“Empowering people is a must because most of the people that come into the pharmacy are drivers of our economy…We need to empower them with the relevant information,” she asserted.

Empowerment, Khan-Manickchand added, will also help to clear misconceptions.

One of the more popular misconceptions the specialist highlighted was surrounds the ‘Psychology of Treatment’.

She explained that persons visit a doctor who prescribes a particular medication for them but if during a subsequent visit they are referred to another doctor psychologically they put up barriers.

She added that both doctors might prescribe the same medication and it maybe a different brand but the persons’ mindset causes them to think that the medication is not working.

Khan- Manickchand said this is where the pharmacist comes in to clear the misguided thinking of the average person.

“It all comes back to education,” she posited.

“My experience has included exposure to local and overseas practice…In all of this I have opened the Medical Express in 2008 with the aim of being more than a regular pharmacy,” she said.

Medicine Express
Khan- Manickchand said too that only does should a person be equipped with education but also the right tools.

“A person is their own best doctor,” she opined.

To this end, she alluded to an apparatus which allows a person with asthma to do routine checks on their self in order to avoid an asthma attack and subsequent hospitalization available at ‘Medicine Express’.

She explained that in addition to providing explanations to the general public to help them move away from “Shapes and colours” of medication, pharmacist should be an up to date support base for people.

According to her some of the services offered at ‘Medicine Express’ are retailing of pharmaceutical commodities, testing for diabetes and hypertension and sourcing of certain prescription medicines that are not readily available in Guyana, among others.

The operating hours of the entity, located on Camp Street, are Mondays to Fridays from 9:00hours to 19:00hours and on Saturdays from 9:00hours to 17:0hours.

Khan- Manickchand said presently the only challenge facility the entity is that of any new operation, the process of getting established.

However, she pointed out that the small success stories advance the venture.

She said her smallest, yet biggest achievement, is positive feedback from her patrons.

“At the end of the day you are responsible for a life, you are saving a life and that is the best part,” Khan-Manickchand said.

On the note of moving forward, she said for the profession on a whole to advance there must first be recognition of the role pharmacists play, steps should be taken to be people centered entities and the addressing of malpractices.

Relative to the latter, the registered pharmacist said each pharmacy must have a certificated to verify that they have been registered with the Pharmacy Council of Guyana, previously the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

The registered pharmacist highlighted that by being registered more doors are open for partnerships.

“Networking,” she said, “Is key.”
Partners
According to her, ‘Medicine Express’ partners with the Cancer Society, for which it procures certain drugs; the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), for which a travelers pack, valued between $3,500 and $6,000, containing medical supplies was designed and is expected to be launched later this month; and the Guyana Chronicle, which carries a weekly column ‘Explaining your medicines’.

The weekly print in this newspaper, Khan- Manickchand said, is a foray that should be extended soon to other media outlets.

She posits that by extending herself to other media outlets the public education effort, which she views should be advanced by all pharmacists, will be bolstered.

Also, the registered pharmacists said she partners with insurance companies and medical practitioners.

Registered Pharmacist Sandra Khan- Manickchand studied at the University of Guyana (UG) after which she was attached to the Neal and Massy Group and handled marketing medical products. Following this she joined the staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and in her time there was afforded training opportunities in the Caribbean. Her most recent academic pursuit, in 2007, was made possible by the United Nations Joint Programme of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) which sponsored training in South Africa.