The Aga Khan University Hospital’s flagship Pharmacy Trainee Programme has received the coveted American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accreditation for International Pharmacy Practice Residency Programmes (IPPR).
First to Receive Accreditation
AKUH has become the first academic medical centre outside the United States, the third international hospital and the first in Pakistan, to receive the prestigious three-year accreditation.
Raising Standards of Training
This accreditation helps raise the standards of training for pharmacists, who offer critical services in patient care. Well-dispensed medicines ensure their best use and efficacy with expert management of the patient’s response as well as medicine interaction.
International Recognition
With this accreditation, the AKUH Pharmacy Residency Programme has become an internationally recognized training site and will serve as a role model for producing exemplary practitioners, who will positively impact the practice of pharmacy in Pakistan.
Alumni and Impact
The one-year pharmacy traineeship programme, being offered at AKUH since 1990, has more than 800 alumni rendering professional pharmacy services, and acting as pioneers in the field in Pakistan. The accreditation also advances AKUH’s traineeship programme to a residency model with international recognition, joining a community of over 2,000 sites across the world with accredited programmes.
Accreditation Process
As part of the accreditation process, AKUH’s pharmacy traineeship programme complied with stringent competencies, educational goals, and objectives, including more than 100 ASHP residency learning objectives, and more than 200 measurable elements.
ASHP Standards
ASHP standards cover fundamental pharmacy practice areas such as Practice Foundation Skills, Drug Information Medication Policy, and Drug Safety, Practice Management and Leadership, Patient care, Education of others, and Project management.
Commitment to Patient Care
Dr Farhat Abbas, Interim CEO AKU Health Services Pakistan, said, “the ASHP accreditation is a testament to the fact that our patients are at the forefront of everything we do,” adding that, “this accreditation is not only a feather in the cap for AKUH but also for the country.”
Continued Commitment to Advancement
Dr Adil Haider, Dean Medical College, AKU, said, “By getting ASHP-accredited, AKU has demonstrated its continuing commitment to advancing pharmacy practice and providing quality patient care.”
Impact on pharmacy practice in Pakistan
Syed Shamim Raza, Director of Pharmacy Services, Pakistan, said, “We set ourselves the goal to develop our pharmacy practices further to fulfill AKUH’s vision of raising the standards of healthcare in Pakistan and we achieved this goal through the ASHP accreditation which marks us as a world-class institution for hospital pharmacy practice and training, ensuring that our patients benefit from international best practices of pharmacy.”
About ASHP
ASHP is a US-based professional organization that represents pharmacists serving as patient care providers in hospitals and other healthcare settings. They believe that hospitals with accredited pharmacy residency programmes are publicly demonstrating their commitment to advancing pharmacy practice and providing high-quality patient care.
AKUH pharmacy network
Being one of the most innovative and comprehensive institutional pharmacy networks in Pakistan, AKUH pharmacies are trusted for delivering high-quality and authentic medications, through a robust team of highly qualified pharmacists and technicians. Our pharmacy residency programme, is the largest ASHP-accredited programme in the world and aims to develop competent pharmacists, who are equipped with the necessary skills and professional.
