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Concerns were raised recently that the government of Belize was in the process of cancelling a crucial exam that students pursuing a career in pharmacy need to write.  But according to officials in the Ministry of Health, those concerns can be safely put to rest, because there are no plans to get rid of that pharmacy exam; but on the contrary to make it even better.  Dr. Peter Allen is the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health.

PETER ALLEN, Chief Executive Officer (Ministry of Health)

“It’s something we’ve been looking at but it’s not cancelled, I don’t know where you might have heard that from.  I think that the most it may be postponed for a week or two weeks, that’s my understanding but I can tell you the ministry objective is to strengthen the system, in this case, the pharmacy system.  Really my understanding is that the licensing exam in question has been postponed for a week or maybe two weeks.  We’ve been having great success in pharmacy with our central medical supplies.  I think we probably mentioned that the public system really only buys certified quality medical supplies and our care provide it in all clinics and hospitals and filling twice as many prescriptions for twice as many patients as we were a few years again with almost the same budget.  So they are really doing us a good job and giving us real value for money.”

Dr. Alen says the pharmacy exam will be revamped in order to make it more relevant to the needs of persons who want to get into the pharmacy profession.

PETER ALLEN, Chief Executive Officer (Ministry of Health)

“Of course also I offer congratulations to the graduates of the pharmacy program at UB who successfully completed their UB examinations after three or sometimes four years of study.  We do receive some complaints from the students of course and it does appear a little unfair that students can graduate after those three or four years of study and after having been thoroughly examined with the graduating examination at UB but am not sure if your aware but then they are not allowed to work.  At the moment what happens is that the graduates at UB, even though they sat the course and then sat the university examination, at the moment they are required to sit a separate examination and that separate examination does not seem to be based entirely on the course they have studied and so not surprisingly many of them failed.  Those that fail then aren’t allowed to work until they get a chance to sit the second exam again that is usually an entire year later.  So when the students have come to us to complain about this and when we look at other small countries like our own, we see that what happens is that the two examinations are it’s like they’re integrated so that the Ministry of Health technical people and the University of Belize educators would work together to make sure that the students are thought everything that they need to know at UB in other to become excellent young pharmacists.”

A comprehensive review of the pharmacy program at the University of Belize was to have been carried out since November of last year. It was an exercise that should have taken place with the involvement of the Ministry of Health, the University of Belize and the pharmacy association.  Dr. Allen says that the goal is overall improvement and stronger pharmacy system.

PETER ALLEN, Chief Executive Officer (Ministry of Health)

“We’re meeting with our technical team to find out why that process that review wasn’t initiated and to see how quickly we can start working along with the Pharmacy Association and long with UB of course to do that review.  Also to reschedule the second examination again for the recent UB graduate and my understanding is that that should be in the next week or two and the thing is we really need good graduates, we do need a stronger pharmacy system.  Sometime that means things would need to change and I know that sometimes people are a little uncomfortable with change but we’re always willing to talk about these things.  We are a little bit disappointed and all, or technical team is a little bit delayed but hopefully we’ll get the review process started very quickly now. 

PATRICK JONES, Reporter

“So there is no – those who have been expressing concerns should rest assure that that exam had not been cancelled?”

PETER ALLEN, Chief Executive Officer (Ministry of Health)

“It has not been cancelled.  Actually, I was speaking to UB just on Friday.  I try to invite the President of the Pharmacy Association up to meet either with head colleagues or by themselves, which is convenient, any time this week really and I having gotten a positive response yet but they are still welcome to come and sit down with us at any time.  The exam as I understand it, has just been postponed for a week or two and the process of review of the entire curriculum and the examination just to make it stronger and to make it more efficient and we hope we’ll star in the very near future.”

Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Allen.