The Department of Health-Pharmaceutical Division (DOH-PD) in collaboration with the Philippine Pharmacists Association (PPhA) conducted a face-to-face Immunizing Pharmacist Certification Program (IPCP) for Public Health Pharmacists (PHPs) with a theme of, “Empowering Public Health Pharmacists as Frontliner in the midst of pandemic through the delivery of quality health care system for the integration of Universal Health Care.” The Department of Health-Pharmaceutical Division (DOH-PD) provides annual training to all PHPs to continuously align and strengthen their professional development to assure that they are equipped, skilled and competent to impart sustainable guidance on the expansion of primary health care services. The IPCP will further strengthen PHPs capacity as an efficient primary care provider by way of augmenting the need for vaccinators aside from rendering their expertise on pharmaceutical management in preparation for the expansion of health care services. 

The IPCP for Public Health Pharmacists was divided into four batches from 22^nd of August to 11^th of November 2022. Batch 1 was held in Malay, Aklan wherein it was attended by the MIMAROPA and Visayas region, while Batch 2 was held in Bolinao, Pangasinan for PHPs from the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions. For Batch 3 the training was held in Legazpi City, Albay, and was composed of PHPs from Regions III, IV-A, and V while the training for the PHPs in Regions IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was held in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

The PPhA – IPCP team facilitated the 3-days training per batch. They are the only national organization of licensed Filipino Pharmacists accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as the training provider to conduct the IPCP.   This is an exclusive run of the IPCP to provide PHPs with the skills necessary to become a primary source for vaccine advocacy, education, and administration.

A total of 373 DOH PHPs are now Certified Immunizing Public Health Pharmacists, as the DOH-Pharmaceutical Division is privileged and honored with the aim to substantially increase the population’s immunity through vaccination and to continuously expand and ensure more accessible and better-quality healthcare is given to our people. As cited by Ms. Maria Gilda Sebua-Saljay, president of the Philippine Pharmacists Association, “As Filipino pharmacists, we are proud to play an end-to-end role in the country’s national vaccination program. We will continue to collaborate closely with our fellow healthcare professionals in ensuring safe and effective vaccinations as we work towards the full recovery of the Philippines in the COVID-19 pandemic.”