Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services, Mrs. Gracia Wheatley- Smith has announced that a workshop to address the issue of medication errors will be conducted next Thursday, March 24.

The workshop titled, “Optimising pharmaceutical care - Reconciling the stark reality of medication errors”, will be held via Zoom from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will target health workers including doctors, nurses, geriatric aids, nutritionists, medical imaging personnel, nursing assistants, other health professionals and members of the community. 

“This workshop is extremely important because we want to empower and educate stakeholders about medication errors, how they occur, how they can impact patients, and most importantly how they can be minimised, Mrs. Wheatley-Smith said.

“I hold the opinion that medicines help but they also harm if they are not used properly,” the Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services said, adding, “Irrational use of medication can make your medical condition worse or even cause death.”

The workshop will provide participants with a better knowledge of medication errors, how they can be prevented and how they can improve their individual practices.

The course will be facilitated by Consultant, Regional and International Speaker on Pharmaceuticals and former Head of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Pharmaceutical Procurement Service, Mr. Francis Burnett, and Continuing Medical Education credits are available.

The session will cater for  100 spaces.  Interested persons can reserve a space by  contacting Mrs. Wheatley-Smith at  468-9850 or via email at grwheatley-smith@gov.vg to register. A fee of $ 10.00 is required for participation.

The Government of the Virgin Islands is committed to improving the health and well-being of the people of the Virgin Islands.