Assignment Description
Assignment Number: 27TOHE-A01
Assignment Position Title: Pharmacist Educator
Name of Host Organisation: Ministry of Health - Tonga (APO Assignment)
Location: Nuku’alofa, Tonga
Duration: 12 months
Description of the Host Organisation:
The Pharmacy Section of the Tongan Ministry of Health is responsible for the procurement, storage, distribution and use of medicine and medical supplies for the public sector in Tonga. The Pharmacy Section trains assistant pharmacists locally to be able to manage most of the pharmaceutical services throughout Tonga. There are four hospitals with hospital pharmacists or assistant pharmacists doing all the dispensing and looking after their stock for their hospitals. In the coming year the Section will be recruiting six staff and they will be undertaking training to become assistant pharmacists. The recruitment of an AYAD pharmacist would assist in the training as well as coaching and supervising some of the newly recruited staff. Recruitment of new pharmacists is done on a demand basis and the last intake was few years ago.
Assignment description for the AYAD:
• Work with the Pharmacy Section to become familiar with the situation in Tonga concerning prescribing and use of standard treatment guidelines, stock management, record keeping and re-ordering practices.
• Help conduct training for the new staff that will be recruited. Subjects to cover include anatomy, physiology, microbiology, basic mathematics and calculations, pharmacology and prescribing, stock management, records keeping and re-ordering of supplies.
• Prepare a report on how to improve on the current dispensing practice and how to utilise data collected from recording prescription to help in targeting irrational use of medicine
• Assist in clinical pharmacy practice at Vaiola Hospital to ensure that rational use of medicines, good prescribing and dispensing practice is followed and that there is adequate transfer of knowledge to other health professionals and patients
• Review the current procurement procedure and identify areas that need to be strengthened, including: tender documentation, quantification, supplier qualification, distribution, registration list
• Make a situation analysis of the tasks being undertaken concerning the selection of medicines; procurement; quantification; logistics (importation and port clearing); management, storage and stock control; distribution to different levels of the health service; management at peripheral levels of the health service • Identify areas of improvement and devise ways of improving situation
Assignment Outcomes to be achieved by the AYAD:
• Identified and strengthened areas that needed improvement with current dispensing practices at Vaiola hospital
• Provided assistance in training of current and newly recruited assistant pharmacists
• Assisted the clinical pharmacist to strengthen clinical pharmacy procedures in Vaiola hospital
• Identified and strengthened areas of work that are weak in the current situation
• Strengthened the pharmaceutical supply management by reviewing current procurement procedures
Qualifications required by the AYAD:
• Bachelor of Pharmacy or equivalent
Experience required by the AYAD:
• At least two years work experience in hospital and/or community pharmacy
• Be currently registered to practice as a pharmacist in Australia or New Zealand
Desirables:
• An interest in working with Tongan counterparts as a team player
• An interest in sharing skills and providing resources so local counterparts will develop capacity to sustain the work at the end of the assignment
• Familiarity with essential drugs concepts and drugs supply management
• Experience in training or giving talks to peer group or to public.
• Computer literacy especially in Microsoft Software –Word, Power-point applications and appropriate data analysis software
• Respect and be prepared to adapt to another culture
• An interest in working in a developing country context
Description of assignment location:
The AYAD would be based at the Vaiola Hospital around three kilometres from Nuku’alofa town centre. They would also spend time at the Central Pharmacy and Medical Store which is close to Nuku’alofa on the main island of Tongatapu.
Information on accommodation options:
The AYAD would be based at the Vaiola Hospital around three kilometres from Nuku’alofa town centre. They would also spend time at the Central Pharmacy and Medical Store which is close to Nuku’alofa on the main island of Tongatapu.