[FIP - BPP approved and funded, collaborative project between the FIP – CPS, FIP – AcPS, and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA)]

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Project Title: 

 “Transforming Patient Choice and Access in Population Health; Empowering Pharmacists to Vaccinate their Communities in India”
 

Project approved in Oct 2021

1. Timelines: The Project overran the timelines several times. One of the main reasons was the lack of a decisive strong response and commitment from the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). The FIP had sought the collaboration of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) and the PCI. It would always be good to have the collaboration of the PCI, it being the regulating body for the pharmacy education and pharmacy profession in India. 

2. Formation of Committees, and Meetings: Several Committees were formed as part of the Project, and they met on several occasions to plan and execute the Project: The Steering Committee, the Curriculum & Training Committee, and the Project Implementation Committee. 

3. Online Modules for the Project: Learning Modules for participants were prepared by the Curriculum and Training sub-committee, mainly based on the Modules prepared by Dr Jane Hanrahan from the University of Sydney. Fifteen Modules (listed below) were prepared, in the Indian context. The Modules are self-paced, self-learning to be learnt in an online mode.
 

List of Modules prepared:

​1 Immunity and Immune System
2 Vaccine production and constituents
3 India’s Immunization programme
4 Vaccination and Public Health
5 Influenza
6 MMR
7 DPT
8 COVID
9 Meningitis
10 HPV
11 Pharmacists as Vaccinators
12 Vaccine Administration
13 AEFI & ISSR
14 Record Keeping
15 Storage, handling and delivery

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4. Uploading of the developed Modules: In September 2023, the Project Team sought guidance from the FIP to seek the FIP Seal for the 15 Modules developed as part of the Project. Further to that, FIP clarified that for internal courses, no Seal is provided. However, FIP agreed to upload and run the Modules on the FIPx site. 

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4. MoU between FIP and IPA: The FIP initiated and signed an MoU with the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) on 15 Nov 2023 to collaboratively execute the Project, and new timelines were drawn up for various activities to be conducted under the Project. 

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4. Online Course on vaccination: The FIP hosted the online Training Modules on the FIPx site. Further to that 46 participants were enrolled for the online course, and the course was opened up on 24th November 2023. The participants were given up to 2 weeks to complete the course. All 46 participants completed the course. The participants were from 23 different pharmacy colleges in India, and each college was represented by 1 Faculty and 1 Pharm.D. student (5th year or Intern). These participants were to be trained as “Trainers” to carry out further training of pharmacists in the country.

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5.  Face-to-face vaccination training (of Trainers): The above 46 participants were divided into 2 Batches. Batch I had 26 participants and Batch II had 20 participants. The training was imparted as per the following schedule:

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Batch I: 4th & 5th December 2023                                     Batch II: 6th & 7th Dec, 2023

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Day 1: Face-to-Face training and competency assessment

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Day2:  a. Half a Day BLS Training with Certification (by the Bangalore Baptist Hospital)

            b. Train-the-Trainer orientation workshop

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The Training was provided by Prof Jane Hanrahan and Prof Carl Schneider from the University of Sydney, Australia. The training was conducted at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital, Bangalore, and was hosted by the Karnataka College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, in collaboration with the IPA.

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46 participants completed the training, and 45 completed the competency assessment and are now eligible to provide training to additional pharmacists in their respective colleges/regions. They have been provided Certificates for having undergone the Training.

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6. Guidance for Trainers. For those already trained in the first batch, have been provided with the list of consumables to be used during training. A Guidance Document has also been finalised for the Trainers, that would guide and help them to provide Training to more pharmacists in their institution and to hospital and community pharmacists in a phased manner. The IPA will guide and monitor this activity. Those who wish to get trained will have to undergo the online course on vaccination, the BLS training, and the face-to-face training, provided by the Trainers. We are in the process of finalising discussions with the FIP regarding whether the pre-requisite online Modules on Vaccination, hosted on FIPx, could be made available for the subsequent batches, which will be trained by those already trained.

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7. Advocacy: Having trained the first lot of pharmacists to be trainers, the IPA is in the process of advocating with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, and the Pharmacy Council of India, to take steps to recognise pharmacists as vaccinators.

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