PV Newsletter V2 ISSUE 1 Sept 2012

Face to a Face discussion on Pharmacovigilance was carried out at 5 Health Centers in Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian Food, Medicine and Healthcare Administration and Control Authority (FMHACA) with the technical support from MSH/SIAPS. Those present in the half day programmes were a total of 125 health providers (2 Physicians, 12 Health officers,86 Clinical and BSC Nurses, 5 Pharmacists and 11druggists) from Gulele Health Center, Teklehaimanot HC, Kazanchis HC, Shiromeda HC and Bole 17/20(two rounds). During the sessions discussions focused on data to be filled during the reporting, frequently observed medication errors, reasons for their occurrence and practical ways to prevent them from happening again, reporting concomitantly taken drugs and the uncertainty to include them, involvement of private facilities in drug safety monitoring, reporting an outcome on follow up, regulatory measures taken so far and their means of communication to the health provider. Participants also indicated their need for trainings on the known ADRs and safety concerns of the drugs used for the epidemiologically significant diseases like HIV, Malaria and TB. Heads of the facilities and participants appreciated what has been done by the authority and promised to share the knowledge obtained to their colleagues. They also added that they would carry out their responsibility towards monitoring drug safety and thereby improve the quality of health care given to their patients