The shortage of pharmaceutical personnel in Belarus can be eliminated by 2013

April 9, Vitebsk / Sergei Kochetov - BELTA /. The potential of the only pharmaceutical faculty in Belarus at the Vitebsk State Medical University (VSMU) allows meeting the demand of enterprises and organizations for pharmaceutical personnel with higher education by 2013. This was stated by VSMU Rector Valery Deykalo at the VIII Congress of Pharmacists of Belarus, which concludes its work in Vitebsk today, according to a BELTA correspondent. The annual demand for personnel in the pharmacy network of RUP "Belpharmatsiya", healthcare institutions and other enterprises is about 250 people. "Taking into account the number of students admitted to the faculty, we are capable of meeting this demand by 2013, provided there is no outward migration of personnel," said Valery Deykalo. Currently, almost 1.2 thousand students and 44 foreign students are studying at the VSMU pharmaceutical faculty, including about 300 people studying by correspondence. The faculty has become one of the most prestigious in the university; according to the results of the last admission campaign, the passing score for admission was 295 for full-time study. Education at the faculty is conducted according to the new state educational standard in the specialty "pharmacy," which provides for over 9.6 thousand hours of classes over 5 years. In the educational process, the university implements a model of pharmaceutical patient care. Today, a pharmacy, in addition to performing its main function (supplying the population with medicines), is becoming a healthcare institution, ensuring health protection, disease prevention, and promotion of a healthy lifestyle. "A pharmacist today is not a seller of medicines, but a bearer of special knowledge, an advisor to the doctor and the patient," noted Valery Deykalo. Two educational, scientific, and production complexes have been created at the faculty, and an information and educational center for self-study of students operates at the university. In addition, work is underway to implement a quality management system, which is a necessary condition for the integration of the university into the global educational system. According to the General Director of RUP "Belpharmatsiya" Igor Kovalchuk, to solve the personnel problem, it is advisable to open a faculty or department for training pharmaceutical specialists at one of the capital's universities. Currently, the staffing level in the pharmacy network of "Belpharmatsiya" is slightly over 92%, not taking into account that about 16% of pharmaceutical workers have reached retirement age. In total, the personnel deficit of "Belpharmatsiya" is 555 people, with the greatest demand for personnel being in the state pharmacy system in Minsk, where the staffing level of pharmaceutical workers barely exceeds 81%. Filling vacancies in state pharmacies located in rural areas also remains a problem. The pharmacy network of "Belpharmatsiya" includes over 1.5 thousand institutions, including more than 200 first-category pharmacies that prepare medicines according to doctor's prescriptions. Almost 500 "Belpharmatsiya" pharmacies operate in rural areas. In total, more than 9.2 thousand people work in the state pharmacy network, including almost 5.9 thousand specialists with pharmaceutical education. -0-