My name is Olubukola Tikare an oncology clinical pharmacist practising in Abuja, Nigeria. I graduated from the prestigious Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye Ogun State Nigeria with a Bachelor of Pharmacy in 2008. From there I was selected for the highly competitive pharmacy internship program at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development for a 12-month research training. After my internship I proceeded to the School of Pharmacy, University College London for a master’s degree in Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy. This 12-month postgraduate program equipped me knowledge on how to improve Pharmacy practice in my home country Nigeria which was one of the goals set out by the designers of the course curriculum.
Before returning home to Nigeria in 2012 I worked briefly as Global Medical Writer for Virology products at Bristol Myers Squibb UK. After my 1-year mandatory national service in 2013 I was employed as a pharmacist at the Federal Staff Hospital Abuja (now Federal Medical Centre Abuja). For the past 10 years I have worked across different specialties namely general outpatient, paediatrics, HIV/AIDS and more recently Oncology owing to my clinical skills and expertise gained from my academic background and hands-on experience.
My journey into Oncology Pharmacy began in 2020 when I was made a pharmacy member of the multidisciplinary cancer team in my facility. I was later posted to work as the pioneer Oncology Pharmacist in the hospital. This task was arduous because I had limited knowledge, most of what I knew were concepts I learnt during my undergraduate studies and insight gained from reading informative materials in my leisure time. The first thing I did was to form network with other Oncology Pharmacists across Nigeria by joining the Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners Association of Nigeria (OPPAN). I was able to use this opportunity to learn from colleagues who had been practising in the cancer space for close to 10 years. This greatly helped my practice in the last 3 years.
The association also organised several capacity building trainings to improve Oncology Pharmacy practise in Nigeria. One of which was the Oncology Upgrade training held in 2021 in Lagos Nigeria facilitated by 2 Fullbright Scholars (Profs Cindy O’Bryant and D. Harvey) from the United States. This training was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health, US Embassy, Project Pink Blue (a not-for-profit cancer organisation), OPPAN, the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, and other development partners. Working as an Oncology pharmacist I have been able to harness all the knowledge and skills I have gathered over the last 15 years to provide optimal pharmaceutical care to my patients.
Being an oncology pharmacist can be quite challenging, from providing pharmaceutical care to patients, to taking care of their drug needs, managing side effects from chemotherapy, counselling and educating patients with co-morbidities, ensuring adherence, supply management of antineoplastics and other supportive medications, reconstituting chemotherapy medications, staying up to date on current information on cancer drugs, the list is endless. However, it is truly rewarding knowing my role as oncology pharmacist makes the treatment journey and post treatment stages of the cancer patient a bit less challenging. The look of relief I see when I offer pharmaceutical care to patients motivates me to learn more, do more and collaborate more to improve cancer care in my hospital and then Nigeria as a whole. This for me is a great highlight of my contribution to healthcare in a resource limited setting like Nigeria.
My typical workday usually depends on which day of the week it is, for instance I attend the consultant clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 8am where my pharmaceutical interventions are on-the-spot. This model is really effective as it saves time and effort for both the patient and the clinicians. On other days I ensure all patients scheduled for chemotherapy administration have their medications, I also ensure all medications are kept under the right storage conditions. I have a strong interest in research, so I use part of my worktime to carry out research related activities. The Oncology team in my hospital places strong emphasis on multidisciplinary approach to patient care hence we jointly participate in ward rounds. I also attend multidisciplinary team meetings where patients’ treatment plans are discussed. I am able to make input during the formulation of patients’ treatment plan in a proactive manner. As a senior pharmacist I also have other administrative duties which I am responsible for and this takes up my time when am not in the Oncology Unit.
One of the greatest challenges I have faced as an oncology pharmacist is managing patients with limited access to funds for treatment of their cancers. It is often said in Nigeria that a cancer diagnosis can turn a wealthy person to a pauper overnight! The management of cancer can be very daunting for the patient and the managing team. In order to proffer solution, we have introduced patients to the Federal government assistance program for cancer patients such as the chemotherapy access partnership (CAP), Cancer Health Fund (if they are eligible), and the Nigerian health insurance scheme. We are always on the lookout for charitable donors and clinical trials to improve access to medicines.
Oncology pharmacy offers a challenging but greatly rewarding path for pharmacists. It is a rapidly evolving field and there are many areas to explore such as drug development, clinical trials, pharmaceutical care, supply chain management, research and newer health technologies. Pharmacists can also opt to specialise in paediatric oncology, haemato-oncology and palliative care. However, it is very key that a pharmacist should choose based on their peculiar interests.
In order for pharmacists to position themselves for opportunities in this field they would have to dedicate the time and energy to build capacity, find opportunities and network with other oncology pharmacists in other regions and countries. The International society of oncology pharmacy practitioners (ISOPP) offers a lot of resources for self-directed learning and capacity building. Attending local and international conferences gives one the opportunity to network with other colleagues in other countries. Conducting research with available data is also a good way to develop one’s skills whilst providing evidence for policy formulation and implementation. The first step however is to have genuine zeal and interest in improving patient’s quality of life and treatment outcomes as this part is often the most fulfilling for me.
In conclusion, I have been fortunate to have a proactive Medical Director, a passionate and hardworking multidisciplinary team where we all work collaboratively to improve patients’ economic, clinical and humanistic outcomes.
MISS OLUBUKOLA TIKARE B. Pharm, MSc, FPCPharm
An impressive and purposeful humane driven undertake. Highly commendable indeed. More wins
What an awesome journey, thank you so much for sharing a more than millions of dollars content free of charge
Highly impressive and a good team player. Your dedication and interest in oncology pharmacy practise in Nigeria is highly commendable.
I want to say the sky is your limit in this specialty.
Well done,my Oncopharmily.
beautiful write up, kudos
It’s a beautiful thing to help improve the quality of life of patients. Well done pharmacist Tikare.
It is interesting to see the progress you have made on your journey. I totally agree with you that a Multidisciplinary approach and an interest in improving patient quality of life is key.
Dear Olubukola.
I enjoyed reading your article and the gains you have made over the years.
I am currently exploring how to expand the role of pharmacists in the cancer control continuum to improve access to cancer services.
I am doing this as part of my PhD work at the University of Toronto, and working with two professors in the university.
It will be great to speak with you sometime to gain more insight from your experience.
Once again, this was an informative read.
this is quite inspiring