FIP president Mr Dominique Jordan said; “The COVID pandemic has given us undeniable evidence of the capabilities of our profession to support health systems. To cite just one example, during the pandemic pharmacy teams in the US provided over 350 million clinical interventions in the form of COVID testing, vaccination, treatment and in-patient care.

Without our actions, there would have been many more deaths”, he said. Community pharmacy strengthens healthcare through providing advice, information and education, triage, screening/ testing and referral, administering vaccinations, prescribing and reducing polymedication, and follow up. However, Mr Jordan asserts; “there’s a wide range of other needs that can be met by community pharmacists, which would relieve pressure on and save time for other areas of the health system. As the experts on medicines, more pharmacists could be allowed to prescribe and initiate medication and we have the skills to take on the management of patients with long-term conditions such as diabetes. Things are moving. For example, in the UK, the National Health Service is aiming for all newly registered pharmacists to be able to independently prescribe by 2026. But we need to see progress in all countries and territories if we are to achieve universal health coverage. Our message on World Pharmacists Day is clear: Let pharmacies do more”. More information and campaign materials are available on FIP’s World Pharmacists Day webpage, fip.org/worldpharmacists-day.