By Regina Ahmed, Guidance Manager, RPS Professional Standards

I had the most amazing opportunity to speak at the 3rd Brazilian Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The theme was ‘Science, Decision and Treatment: Pharmacists connecting and shaping health’, focusing on sharing the impact of pharmacists on health promotion and treatment innovation. The event was held in Foz do Iguaçu from 6-8 November. International speakers from America, Canada, South Africa and myself from the UK were invited and hosted by the Brazil Federal Council of Pharmacy (CFF). More than 4,000 professionals and national and international organisations attended the event, including the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the Argentine Pharmaceutical Confederation (COFA), the Portuguese Pharmacists' Association and the Minister of Health.

Brazilian journalist Giuliana Morrone hosted the opening ceremony, which included live performances and the Brazilian pharmacy anthem. Here, I met board members, other international speakers, and doctors and pharmacists across Brazil. Their professional backgrounds and experiences were so inspiring and as vibrant as their cultures and hospitality.

Sharing UK pharmacy expertise

Over the two days, I delivered presentations on:

• Transformative changes to the independent prescribing roles of pharmacists in the UK
• Career opportunities for international pharmacists in the UK – a roundtable discussion with the other international pharmacists and a Brazilian humanitarian pharmacist
• UK national common ailments and prescribing services.

Pharmacists, policymakers and industry were mainly interested in how we in the UK:

• Set up community pharmacies
• Deliver prescribing and vaccination services in community pharmacy
• Promote women in pharmacy and how to overcome barriers to role progression
• Transfer care and patient records between community, hospital and GP practice
• Access or offer blood tests through community pharmacy
• Take practical steps to secure hospital roles, academia and PhD placements
• Developed the repeat prescribing toolkit, as they’re working to implement similar.

Shared challenges in pharmacy

Pharmacists in Brazil also face similar barriers to those of UK pharmacists, e.g., awareness of the expanding role of pharmacists, acceptance by other healthcare professionals (HCPs), cost of studying and upskilling, and gender equality. They felt the process of becoming a pharmacist in the UK was expensive, and may create challenges in encouraging international pharmacists to relocate.

Learning from Brazilian pharmacy practice

We could learn a lot from our peers in Brazil. One thing that was clear from the first day is how much the pharmacy profession is celebrated, protected and valued in Brazil. Pharmacy organisations in neighbouring countries collaborate to create a space for pharmacy and encourage the visibility of pharmacists as HCPs. There’s also collaboration between pharmacists, technologists and entrepreneurs, as there’s a great focus on technology (telepharmacy and AI) which is evolving and transforming care. In terms of where they are with prescribing in Brazil, pharmacists can prescribe over-the-counter medicines, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV/AIDS, contraceptives, vaccines and tuberculosis prevention and, in the future, antimicrobials.

Exploring Iguazu Falls

It wasn’t all work and no play though! On my free day, I went to see one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, Iguazu Falls, from the Brazilian national park side. The Macuco Safari is an amazing boat trip that takes you through the Iguaçu Rapids and beneath the falls themselves. A truly unforgettable experience.

RPS look forward to fostering our international association with CFF, and to exploring further opportunities for collaboration, mutual exchange and learning.

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