Organised by the FIP Bureau, in collaboration with FIP’s Health and Medicines Information Section

Chairs

Ema Paulino (FIP, Portugal) and Zuzana Kusynová (FIP, Netherlands)

Introduction

Although there are different perceptions between men and women as to what is considered social responsibility, it is always considered as the primary responsibility of women across societies. Most of the time, across most cultures and settings, more women are responsible for caring for their families than men, both the adults and the children, and therefore have a social responsibility that the entire community must embrace. Women more often teach hygiene, good eating habits and disease prevention to the people under their care. Women have a special place in health care because they are the non-professional caregivers who interact the most with healthcare professionals. Women can convey skills and improve their own abilities through new skills. Women are most often the ones who go to pharmacies, handle medicines on behalf of their families and play a crucial role in achieving the responsible use of medicines.

Therefore, efforts to build a strong alliance between women and pharmacists can be a powerful weapon in the fight to expand the responsible use of medicines and, by extension, to improve public health worldwide. That is why pharmacists must provide women with the tools, training and knowledge to empower them as authentic champions of health.

This session aims to highlight the role of the pharmacist in empowering women to be agents of change in the healthcare of societies.

Programme

Learning Objectives