With this ASHP accreditation, the AKUH Pharmacy Residency Program has become an internationally recognized training site.
The Aga Khan University Hospital’s flagship Pharmacy Trainee Program has been awarded the prestigious American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accreditation for International Pharmacy Practice Residency Programs (IPPR), making it the first academic medical center outside of the United States, the third international hospital, and the first in Pakistan to receive the prestigious three-year accreditation.
This accreditation helps to raise the training standards for pharmacists, who provide critical services in patient care. With expert management of the patient’s response as well as medicine interaction, well-dispensed medicines ensure their best use and efficacy.
With this accreditation for Pharmacy Trainee Program , the AKUH Pharmacy Residency Program has become an internationally recognised training site, serving as a role model for producing exemplary practitioners who will positively impact pharmacy practise in Pakistan.
Since 1990, AKUH has offered a one-year pharmacy traineeship programme, with over 800 alumni providing professional pharmacy services and serving as pioneers in the field in Pakistan. The accreditation also elevates AKUH’s traineeship programme to a residency model with international recognition, joining a community of over 2,000 accredited sites worldwide.
AKUH’s pharmacy traineeship program met stringent competencies, educational goals, and objectives as part of the accreditation process, including more than 100 ASHP residency learning objectives and more than 200 measurable elements.
ASHP standards cover fundamental pharmacy practise areas like practise foundation skills, drug information and medication policy, drug safety, practise management and leadership, patient care, education of others, and project management.
“The ASHP accreditation is a testament to the fact that our patients are at the forefront of everything we do,” said Dr. Farhat Abbas, interim CEO of AKU Health Services Pakistan, adding, “This accreditation is not only a feather in the cap for AKUH but also for the country.”
Dr. Adil Haider, Dean Medical College, AKU, praised the teams for their dedication and hard work, saying, “By becoming ASHP-accredited, AKU has demonstrated its continuing commitment to advancing pharmacy practice and providing quality patient care,” adding that the accreditation will serve as a means to adopt and implement an even higher quality pharmacy practice and an enhanced residency program.
Syed Shamim Raza, Director of Pharmacy Services, Pakistan, highlighted the impact of the accreditation, saying, “We set ourselves the goal of developing our pharmacy practises further to fulfil 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 practise and training, ensuring that our patients benefit from international best practises of pharmacy.”
The American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) is a professional organization based in the United States that represents pharmacists who work as patient care providers in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
Hospitals with accredited pharmacy residency programs, they believe, are publicly demonstrating their commitment to advancing pharmacy practice and providing high-quality patient care. Among the nearly 75,000 members of the organization are pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.
AKUH pharmacies are trusted for delivering high-quality and authentic medications through a robust team of highly qualified pharmacists and technicians, as one of the most innovative and comprehensive institutional pharmacy networks in Pakistan.
Our pharmacy residency program is the largest ASHP-accredited program in the world, with the goal of developing competent pharmacists with the skills and professional knowledge needed to raise the standards of pharmacy practice in Pakistan.