New Pacific Pharmacist Association

New Zealand’s first Pacific Pharmacists’ Association has recently launched.  The association has grown out of a Facebook group formed several years ago by Kasey Brown, who is the association’s first president, reports Radio New Zealand.

Ms Brown said the association aimed to be an interface, helping Pacific people learn more about how best to access, and use, medicines. Knowing there was someone who could understand them was important for Pasifika when accessing pharmacies, she said.

“I think that when Pacific people go into a pharmacy and they see someone that isn’t Pacific, it’s harder to engage because they’re not quite sure where either team are coming from, really,” she said.

“As in, Pacific Islanders don’t understand the health system here, but that non-Pacific people don’t understand how the culture works.”

Ms Brown said Pasifika could expect to soon see the Association starting to make itself visible in communities and the workforce.

“So with key people working in the Pacific Responsiveness Strategy, hopefully we’ll be able to communicate these ideas and the strategy in general to the communities, that they can understand what we’re doing, and how they can help themselves.”

Source: ajp.com.au/news/world-news-wrapup-31-august-2018/?utm_source=AJP+Daily&utm_campaign=2f63d9895e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_30_06_47&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cce9c58212-2f63d9895e-109985429, viewed 31 August 2018