As part of a new International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Commitment to Action on Improving vaccination coverage through pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmaceutical scientists and pharmacy educators around the world recently pledged to transform vaccination globally, regionally and locally.
The commitment, launched during the first FIP Virtual Global Summit on transforming vaccination in pharmacy, is the outcome of FIP’s ‘Transforming vaccination globally and regionally’ digital programme, which began in September 2020.
Among the 17 actions described in the commitment are to:
- Address vaccines hesitancy;
- Strive towards equity of access to vaccinations, with particular focus on expanding vaccination pathways for adults;
- Advocate legislative frameworks that provide the regulatory assurance of pharmacist-delivered vaccination services and appropriate funding models; and
- Ensure health system readiness for mass immunisation against current and future pandemics.
“Pharmacy is a highly-skilled and trusted health workforce that can deliver an effective and impactful health intervention. All the actions in this commitment are urgently needed to ensure equitable access to vaccines and vaccination services to all people around the world, across all ages and leaving no-one behind, to reduce the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases, and to enable pharmacists to play an even greater part in the fight against emerging diseases,” said FIP CEO Dr Catherine Duggan.
Discussions during the transforming vaccination programme provided a number of insights and priorities, and those FIP will be focusing on are: Compiling country cases so that experiences can be shared; assuring quality of education and training; supporting logistics; working with other health professions to address barriers to pharmacy vaccination; providing guidelines and other support; and continuing advocacy efforts to raise awareness of the value of vaccination coverage through pharmacies.
