5 Liberian Pharmacists bagged Post-Graduate Degree with Specialties

Five Liberian pharmaceutics and public health professional on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 graduated with post-graduate degree in several specialties from the West African Post-Graduate College of Pharmacist (WAPCP) in Monrovia.

During the graduation ceremony held at the Paynesville City Hall outside Monrovia, the new graduates including the five Liberians were admitted as fellows of the West Africa Post-Graduate College of Pharmacist following completion of approximately five years of studies and research.  

Those graduated from the West African Post-Graduate College of Pharmacist (WAPCP) include Nimba County District 3 Representative Joseph Nyan Somwarbi, Public Heath/ PPV, Mr. Menmon Paul Zenon-Aau  Dunah,  Register of the Liberia Pharmaceutical Board, Public Heath/ASI, Dr. Archibal O. Kromah, Consultant at the Liberia Medical Health and Regulatory Authority, and  Dr. Forkay B. Colnoe, JFK Head Pharmacist both in Clinical Pharmacy, Cardiovascular, Endocrine and Renal,  among other.

The West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) was established in 1991 under the mandate of WAPF and inaugurated in Ghana in February 1991. The change of the name from WAPF to WAPCP was approved by the West African Health Organization (WAHO) on November 2nd, 1999.

To be eligible for the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists fellowship program, the pharmacist must be a registered pharmacist in a WAHO member country. The college consist of the Faculty of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Drug Production and Quality Assurance, The Faculty of Public Health Pharmacy, Faculty of Social and Administrative Pharmacy.

The Primary Level, a one-year programme. It has two five-day lecture sessions in a year. Courses on Toxicology, Pharmacy Management, Public Health Pharmacy, Principles of Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, Drug Action, and Basic Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical Care, Communicable Diseases, Biostatistics, Health Policy, Laws and Ethics, Communication Skills, among others were taught.

The West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), was established to unify pharmacy practice across the West African region and currently has five countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia as member countries. The WAPCP holds the Annual Conference and Scientific Symposium and rotates the venue among the five member states.

The West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) is a body responsible for harmonizing pharmacy education and practice across selected countries in West Africa. West African Pharmaceutical Federation (WAPF) was established by an ECOWAS protocol on 13th October 1976 in Monrovia, Liberia. Representatives of the National Pharmaceutical Societies from eight West African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Liberia were present. The French-speaking countries later withdrew from the body.

Speaking in an interview with journalists at the end of the graduation ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the Liberia Pharmacy Board, Dr.  Menmon P.Z Dunah, expressed excitement to have been one of the graduates of WAPCP after approximately five years of studied.

‘’I am excited today, because I received my fellowship degree from WAPCP. In our medical profession, after you have gotten your master, and PHD, you later enrolled into a college and pursuer a course that will prepare you over the period of four years both internship, and externship to become a fellow. One you become a fellow of a colleague, you are now a senior specialist or consultant. We are among over eighty of their colleague from the West African region.’’ He stated.

He said that his specialty will enable him to assist Liberia in managing anti-biotic, by reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance that is caused by either misused, over prescription, self-medication and illegal sale of anti-biotic.

Mr. Dunah explained that he will also be serving in the capacity of controlling of infectious diseases like we saw in the case of Ebola and COVID-19, something he added will prevent the country from looking outside for help and solve their own problem.

‘‘How is our country prepare for this kinds of infectious diseases? Most of the time, we bring in consultant and international expert to help us manage the disease. But now, we can boldly say that Liberia have specialist in infectious disease control and we will be able to come out with emergency preparedness for this kinds of thing. You can only prepare a country by building a strong and resilient health structure and control the outbreak,’’ he stated.

Mr. Dunah added that he is prepared than ever before to provide consultancy and decision-making at the highest level that will help Liberia drive its healthcare management system which will safe majority of the population because it will control the spared of disease.

For his part, Nimba County District 3 Representatives and Pharmacist,  Joseph N. Somwarbi,  was  overwhelmed and excited on bagging a post-graduate degree in anti-microbial stewardship and infectious diseases control.

‘’ I am excited because this is something that we normally do, and work for. The specialists that we have acquired here today, for me, we are just two with that specialty in Liberia. I am proud as a son of Nimba as the first to acquire from my county. This achievement is for my people,’’ he noted.

According to him, it’s important to Liberia because during clinical trial, drugs are just tested in small amount of people but now, subsequently drugs are administered to about millions of people.

He stated that the sad effect of such drugs during such condition, that is the time that they monitor it, therefore, it’s very significant when it comes to the development of new drugs and multi-purpose drugs.

‘‘This is a new specialty that we have come with to Liberia. We started this process since 2017 going through intense study to graduate and be accepted as a fellow. This is a five years study that we have concluded successfully and now we are becoming fellows. The pre-requisite for this, you must be a master degree holder or PHD before you can enroll,’’ he added.