PHARMACY INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE IN ZAMBIA

Pharmacy internship is a requirement in the fulfilment of pharmacy to become a fully registered pharmacist. The duration for internship is 1 year for locally trained and 2 years for foreign trained. Before starting internship, one has to acquire a practicing license and provisional license from Health Professionals Counsel of Zambia (HPCZ) after payment of a stipulated fee. Pharmacy is a very interesting field where one is not limited to a particular area for internship but various sites. In Zambia, some of the internship sites include Hospital, retail pharmacy, Zambia Medicines and Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA), Churches Association of Zambia (CHAZ), Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) etc.

I was locally trained at Lusaka Apex Medical University and graduated in December 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy, thereafter I did my internship for 1 year. In this 1 year, I rotated in just 2 internship sites, Hospital pharmacy and ZAMRA and a bit of retail pharmacy. The first 6 months, I started with ZAMRA. It was a different experience compared to the Hospital practice I experienced during my clinicals in my 4^th and 5^th year. ZAMRA is a regulatory body that is involved in the regulating of medicines for Public Protection, Marketing Authorization of Medicines and allied substances, Licensing and Inspections, regulating the conduct of clinical trials and pharmacovigilance. At ZAMRA, I managed to rotate in two main departments namely Marketing Authorization and Licensing Department. In Marketing Authorization, I was taught how to evaluate a dossier among other things. In Licensing, I learnt how to process commercial import and export permits using the new online platform Integrated Regulatory Management Information System (IRMIS). I also handled permits for personal use and the preparation of approved certificates and licenses for opening retail pharmacies, wholesalers, health shops, Agro Veterinary shops that were ready for dispatch. I also experienced first hand the inspection of a newly opening retail pharmacy among many other things.

In the last 6 months, I went to do my Hospital pharmacy at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital (LMUTH). In this setup it is divided mainly into 2 sections, logistics and clinical area. I started with logistics and learnt how to receive products from ZAMMSA which is the main supplier of medicines, surgical products and ARVs across the country. Apart from receiving health commodities from ZAMMSA, the hospital is able to procure medicines and some surgical supplies from other private companies(wholesalers). Receiving involves receiving delivery note and invoice from the supplier then comparing the supplier documentation with purchase order. Then a thorough physical inspection is conducted to check for obvious visible damages, labelling with product name, formulation, strength and expiry dates. The Goods Received Note (GRN) is then prepared and any discrepancy is noted. The original copy of the GRN is usually given to the supplier and the copy of delivery note and GRN filed. The original invoice, copy of delivery note and copy of GRN are sent to procurement and lastly the receipts are entered on the stock control cards. The last part of hospital pharmacy is the clinical area consisting of four main departments, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Paediatrics. The most interesting department was Obstetrics & Gynaecology, having to witness child birth and the manual vacuum aspiration procedure. Paediatric department was also interesting as it involved extemporaneous preparations or compounding of non-available appropriate drugs.

Exposure to the Clinical aspect of the hospital helps one realize the challenges on the wards outside dispensing and also an eye opener to the various medication errors on the wards. Collaborating with other health care providers on what regimen is best for the patient in cases where an alternative drug can be administered due to non-availability or price issues. These would be done either during pharmacy rounds or major ward rounds.

I was a locum Pharmacist in a retail pharmacy setup, standing in for the Pharmacist In-charge. It was also very different from hospital pharmacy because in this area a pharmacist is able to manage minor ailments and conditions over the counter and prescribe the right medication for those symptoms or conditions. This gave me the confidence in my role as a Pharmacist in effectively providing care and guidance over the counter. This largely enhanced client satisfaction as they would be sincerely helped unless it was a critical case where the I referred them to the hospital for further tests and diagnosis. Retail pharmacy exposes one to a vast array of brands existing in the market giving patients a lot of options.

At the end of internship through our association the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia (PSZ), we do a pre-registration exam before one is certified by the Health Professionals Counsel of Zambia (HPCZ). This is subsequent to getting a recommendation from the Pharmacist in Charge at the hospital at your internship sites.

I had such a great experience during my internship and I’m looking forward to being a seasoned Pharmacist.

BY: NAMUKOLO SIMBUWA, PHARMACIST, ZAMBIA.