PHARMAC celebrates New Zealand's first Pacific Pharmacists' Association

PHARMAC Chief Executive, Sarah Fitt, says PHARMAC is proud to support Pacific pharmacists working with their communities.

“Pacific pharmacists play a crucial role in helping their communities get the most out of their medicines,” says Ms Fitt.

“We’re really excited that the Pacific Pharmacists’ Association is embarking on this journey to support better health outcomes for Pacific peoples.

“What started as a Facebook group with a small number of people, has grown into a legal entity. This shows the enormous passion and commitment members have for the health and wellbeing of their communities.”

Ms Fitt says the Pacific Pharmacists’ Association will play a vital role in supporting PHARMAC’s Pacific Responsiveness Strategy, which aims to elevate the health of Pacific peoples, by improving access to, and use of, medicines.

“In the next stage of our strategy, we want to start testing ways to improve health outcomes for Pacific peoples. We look forward to working closely with the Pacific Pharmacists’ Association to make this happen.”

Pacific Pharmacists’ Association President, Kasey Brown, says she is excited about the association’s potential impacts on the profession, Pacific peoples and communities, and on future Pacific pharmacists.

“We’ve worked really hard over the last year to turn this from an informal group into a formal association,” says Ms Brown.

“We hope that in the next year we can plant some good foundations within universities, pharmacy and the wider health sector.”

To mark the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between PHARMAC and the Pacific Pharmacists’ Association, PHARMAC is hosting an event on 24 August 2018.