Pharmacist - Gatekeeper of public health

(Dan Tri) - Not just the person who "receives prescriptions and delivers medicine", today's pharmacists have become the first medical contact point for millions of Vietnamese people.

They are the ones who silently listen, advise and detect health risks early right from behind the pharmacy counter.

In the minds of the majority, pharmacists are often associated with a familiar image: the person behind the counter, dispensing prescription drugs.

However, behind this seemingly simple job is a world of professions that requires a lot of experience, medical knowledge as well as carefulness in every advice, and above all, a heart devoted to public health.

Community pharmacists are the health professionals closest and most accessible to the people. They not only dispense prescription drugs, but also, within the scope of the law, guide patients in the use of non-prescription drugs, helping to manage the first signs of illness properly. Each timely advice from them can help patients avoid dangerous complications, even save a life.

That is the reason why Dan Tri newspaper cooperated with Pharmacity Pharmacy System to organize an online discussion with the topic "Pharmacist - Gatekeeper of community health", with the participation of Pharmacist Nguyen Van Tien Duc - Pharmacy Director, Pharmacity Pharmacy System.

Online discussion with the topic "Pharmacists - Gatekeepers of public health" took place at 2:30 p.m. on October 29 (Graphics: Dan Tri).

At the seminar, Pharmacist Nguyen Van Tien Duc will share a realistic perspective on the daily work of a community pharmacist, a job that is not only professional but also requires tact, the ability to listen and understand patients.

Every day, pharmacists come into contact with hundreds of customers, each with a different story, illness, and mood. They not only provide medicine, but also act as guides and “interpreters” of complex medical terms into easy-to-understand advice, helping patients feel secure in their treatment.

Pharmacist Duc will also recount memorable situations, when a timely inquiry helped to detect a patient with dangerous high blood pressure, or when a pharmacist firmly refused to sell inappropriate drugs to protect customer safety.

Not only consulting, Pharmacity system has been implementing a model of free blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid measurement at thousands of pharmacies nationwide. The program helps people monitor their health more regularly, and at the same time detect early common chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes or dyslipidemia.

According to Pharmacist Tien Duc, this is a strategic step to help pharmacies become the "first medical touchpoint" in the primary health care system, helping people to be listened to, consulted and guided as soon as abnormal signs appear in the body.

The seminar “Pharmacists – Gatekeepers of community health” is part of a series of cooperation between Dan Tri Newspaper and Pharmacity, aiming to spread correct medical knowledge, encourage people to change their habit of self-medication and increase interaction with pharmacists in the health care process.

The program will be broadcast live on Dan Tri e-newspaper, Dan Tri fanpage and Pharmacity's media system. Through the discussion, the audience will better understand why a timely advice from a pharmacist can save a life, and why, behind each pill, there is a heart devoted to community health.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/duoc-si-nha-thuoc-nguoi-gac-cong-suc-khoe-cong-dong-20251028143503732.htm