Four British pharmacists are travelling to Surabaya, Indonesia, this month to lead intensive training courses in drug information and clinical pharmacy. They will also speak at a national seminar promoting drug information and clinical pharmacy, with the aim of cultivating links with Indonesian hospitals and universities. The trip is being funded by the British Council.
Three of the four are clinical pharmacists - Dr Sean Fradgley (North Staffordshire hospital), Miss Fiona Hall (Northern general hospital, Sheffield) and Mrs Rachel Kenward (Barnsley district general hospital). The fourth, Miss Sadia Khan, is an information pharmacist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
The party is being led by Dr Chik Kaw Tan of OMF International, a Christian volunteer organisation. Dr Mohamed Aslam (University of Nottingham) has been instrumental in setting up the trip. Dr Aslam is a visiting professor, and Dr Tan a visiting lecturer, at the University of Surabaya.
Miss Khan said that the training courses were an excellent opportunity to help a country where drug information resources were scarce, clinical pharmacy was in its infancy, and pharmacy practice was still focused on dispensing.