Under the theme From Cost to Value Based Health Care “Integrating Clinical Aduits and Pharmacoeconomics Evidence for Healthcare Optimization”, Oman International Pharmacy Congress and Exhibition (OIPCX) Regional Forum, organized by the Ministry of Health’s Directorate General of Medical Supplies, was inaugurated today ( Monday ) at Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
The opening ceremony was under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Hilal Ali Al Sabti, Minister of Health, with the presence of Ministry’s Undersecretaries and senior officials.
Pharmacist Ibrahim Al-Rashdi, Director General of Medical Supplies and Congress Chair, highlighted in his speech during the opening the significance of the event being one of the most prominent scientific activities in the region, bringing together a group of experts and speakers from various fields, contributing hence to the development of the pharmacy profession and enhancing the exchange of experiences between countries in the region.
He went further to point that the current edition of the congress has expanded its scope to include vital areas such as the use of artificial intelligence in pharmacy practices, the digital transformation of pharmaceutical care services, drug economics, health technology assessment, clinical auditing, clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical education development, and enhancing drug safety, especially in critical cases, to ensure patient safety.
He noted that one of the important areas of the forum is the exchange of experiences in the field of health economics. Arab and Gulf experiences in building foundations and programs for health economics were presented, including: the Sultanate of Oman's experience, represented by the Ministry of Health, in developing methodological guidelines for health technology assessment and the process of evaluating high-cost drug approval requests; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's experience in managing medications for rare diseases and implementing value-based healthcare; and Jordan's experience in Hospital-Based HTA Program in King Hussein Cancer Center.
At the end of the opening, the patron of the event took a tour of the exhibition that featured a showcase by global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, alongside prominent pharmacies in the Sultanate of Oman. The exhibition also included leading companies from the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
The three-day forum brings together over (600) healthcare professionals, with (46) esteemed international, Gulf, and local speakers. It will also feature (43) scientific papers, 13 of which are from Oman, exploring the latest advancements in pharmaceutical practices and drug research. Furthermore, the event includes five general workshops and four specialized workshops focusing on health economics, providing a comprehensive platform for knowledge sharing and professional development.
On its first day, five workshops were conducted which were namely on Utilizing Antibiotic Use Data to Strengthen Antimicrobial Stewardship: Evaluation and Identification of Targets, Excellence in Community Pharmacy Practice: Focus on Medication Therapy Management (MTM), Steps of Conducting Effective Clinical Audits: From Planning to Implementation, Anti Coagulation Stewardship, and Medication Safety in High-Risk Situation.
The conference will discuss tomorrow several important topics including the economic burden of diseases on the healthcare system appropriate polypharmacy – sustainable solutions to address the public health and economic burden, clinical and economical value of clinical pharmacist interventions in cancer care, as well team-based learning (TBL) in pharmacy education: enhancing therapeutic competency through collaboration.
The forum sessions will conclude on its final day with several key topics, including the role of clinical audits in preventing medical errors and enhancing patient safety, implementation of safe medication prescribing program for pediatrics as a high-risk population, clinical audit of medicine experience within MoH, Oman, in addition to AI in Health Economics and HTA: opportunities, challenges and future direction.
