Success Stories
Testimonials and Success stories of EPN Training Program and Scholarship
The Essentials of Pharmaceutical Practice (EPP) course has had a lot of impact among healthcare workers, especially those who had no prior training. As a result, it has been observed that:
There is an improvement in stock management, with improved stock levels of essential medicines and reduced stock outs. There has been an increased confidence in staff while counselling patients and those staff have been able to work with minimum supervision. The amount of expired medicines has decreased significantly while stock availability has increased in several facilities. Adherence to cold chain management has gone up while documentation like stock cards are now in place and up to date.
Sharing pharmaceutical information has influenced behavioral change in medicine dispensers and patients; this is contributing to better overall health outcomes.
Medicine storage and stock management systems based on best practices are in place in church health systems. There are systems in place to support continuous availability of quality and affordable medicines such as better quantification and ordering. For several hospitals, there are now Standard Operating Procedures for transparent procurement in place. Quality assurance policies for products and services are developed and implemented while key Church leaders are aware of key health services and key messages on pharmaceutical issues.
"Thank you very much for this course. It is timely and very important. I greatly appreciate the instructor of this course. The course has change my mindset about vaccination and i am very certain it will do to many who can take this course"
Peter Watira Mukholi, nurse, CMI Sambocho health centre, Kenya
Course trained in: Infection, Prevention and Control course
After finishing this course, i managed to reactivate the IPC Committee in my facility
Vanessar Ledorko
Beneficiary 2014-2017
I am now a qualified Pharmaceutical Technician, thanks to EPN.
Timothy Aborah
Beneficiary 2018-2021
With the knowledge I have gained, I am able to access and manage the inventory in the bulk stores which has reduced stock-outs of medicine.
Christopher Andoh
Beneficiary 2018-2021
I helped my colleagues in the hospital to appreciate the need to keep surgical dressings sterile all the time.
Bachelor of Pharmacy
Central University of Ghana
I am grateful for the support to achieve my dream career. Special appreciation to the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network, Christian Health Association of Ghana and SDA Hospital, Asamang.
The second semester in the second year has been very tremendous. The semester was packed with a lot of academic and extracurricular activities. Out of the ten results released so far I have attained a lot of A’s including pharmacology I, Biochemistry II, Sterilization and Disinfection Practical, Biostatistics, etc. this has been an excellent performance.
This was possible because I followed a proper personal study schedule. I also made very good use of the campus library. Due to my performance and my ability to help other colleagues to achieve academic excellence, I have been appointed as the Academic committee chairman of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Students Association of Central University and also the Deputy Chairperson of the Academic and Editorial Board of the Student Representative Council of the university. During the school holidays, I got the opportunity to put the theoretical knowledge gained into practical use at the hospital. Pharmacology and biochemistry helped me to improve on dispensing of drugs especially to patients with chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. I have come to appreciate the mechanism of action of these groups of drugs.
Leadership studies and pharmacy management was part of our courses of study. This has really helped me to be accountable especially when I am on duty; this includes managing stock levels in the pharmacy stores and the dispensary to avoid shortages. From the sterilization and disinfection course, I helped my colleagues in the hospital to appreciate the need to keep surgical dressings sterile all the time. The dispensing counters were always disinfected each morning before work begins. My colleagues have now made hand washing a habit. I am looking forward to yet another successful semester this academic year.
Loveness Soko
Beneficiary 2018-2021
With the knowledge I have gained, I am able to access and manage the inventory in the bulk stores which has reduced stock-outs of medicine.
Diploma in Pharmacy
Malawi College of Health Sciences
I would like to thank EPN for granting me this scholarship. Honestly, I could not have been managed to pay fees or attend this upgrading program. For this reason, I am very grateful. School has been challenging but rewarding. This has been so due to prolonged semesters as the school was facing challenges of strikes but they have been sorted out. My results in some courses were not good while in other courses I did well. I am really working hard so as to get good results on all courses during this semester’s examination which will commence in the second week of November.
Despite these challenges school has helped me gain knowledge that i did not have before about dispensing medication to patients, giving advice concerning medicine to patients as well as working hand in hand with prescribers in order to give the right medication to our patients. During technical meetings, I am able to share knowledge about drug interactions, rational medicine use, proper documentation of various records and transactions among other things. This makes me feel that I am part of this team.
I am also able to help staff from other departments on how to order and collect medicine from the bulk store using recommended documents like the requisition issue vouchers. With the knowledge I have gained, I am able to access and manage the inventory in the bulk stores which has reduced stock-outs of medicine and medicinal products as well as reducing the expiration of medicine.
I am also able to share knowledge about the proper storage of medicine and dispensing practices to the people whom I work within the pharmacy. I am looking forward to learning more and gain more experience during this training so that i can share it with my colleagues. In the end, together with my team, we should be able for provide quality medication as well as services to our patients who are our prime concern.
Arasidah Kaango
Beneficiary 2018-2021
I do share knowledge on the proper use of antibiotics to other to prevent antibiotic resistance to patients and avoid wastage.
Bachelor of Pharmacy
University of Zambia
I would like to say, Thank you to EPN! There has been a significant improvement in my results from the time I was awarded the scholarship because, previously, I used to spend a lot of time organizing for school fees instead of studying than is the case now. I passed all the courses for my fourth year.
My dispensing practice towards patients and other departments of the hospital has also improved as I practice from the biggest hospital in Zambia at the University Teaching Hospital during school days. I monitor stocks also in other departments to ensure there is no wastage of pharmaceutical products. Stock management has also improved with the use of electronic logistics management information systems and new knowledge acquired in my training. I do share knowledge on the proper use of antibiotics to other staff such as nurses and prescribers to prevent antibiotic resistance to patients and avoid wastage since antibiotics are expensive. I have been noticing that sometimes antibiotics are prescribed where not necessary and I try to prevent this during my practice in school holidays.
Josephine Amulen
Beneficiary 2018-2021
I have learnt to avoid the use of scientific words when explaining to patients about their medicines and conditions for easy understanding to the patient.
Bachelor in Pharmacy
Makerere University, Uganda
In the previous holiday period, the university held a recess term where the students were given more course units to study as indicated in my academic progressive result. I, therefore, didn’t get quality time for hospital practice but these are some of the things I learnt:
Improved dispensing practice towards patients and other departments of the hospital. I have learnt to avoid the use of scientific words when explaining to patients about their medicines and conditions for easy understanding to the patient. I shared with the patients more information concerning their drugs like the side effects, the use of the drug, how long to take the drug, if to take it with or without a meal, the storage conditions, among others. I have learnt to inquire from the patient if they have understood how to take their medicine and if they have any questions concerning their medicine.
Improved stock management at the pharmacy and store – I have learnt to keep record of every drug that goes out of the pharmacy in terms of drug name and quantity issued out. I have also kept track of the names, quantities and costs of the drugs that are brought into the pharmacy. Knowledge transfer to other staff in the pharmacy and hospital. – I share knowledge with the prescribers in case of drug prescription problems like drug-drug interactions.
I also remind my fellow staff about some of the good dispensing practices in case they neglect to do them like telling patients to take some of their medicines with meals, the side effect of the drugs, and for how long to take their medicine, among others.
Ngwayu Rene Nchida
Beneficiary 2018-2021
I gave special counsel to patients with GERD and Hypertension.
Diploma in Pharmacy Technology
Baptist Training School, Cameroon
It is my pleasure to extend my utmost appreciation to EPN for the Scholarship opportunity. My last semester was so challenging as we only wrote an end of year examination with the bulk of notes accumulated and written within the space of one week.
In dispensing practices, I can testify that my dispensing and counseling skills have greatly improved thanks to this training. My level of understanding and interpretation of prescriptions is very much improved. I gave special counsel to patients with GERD and Hypertension. The Hospital at Etoug-Ebe Baptist was too busy. I also had clinical experience in the ward on admitted patients.
At CBC stores are under strict control, only storekeepers work there. But I worked with the storekeeper to arrange drugs in alphabetical order. At individual level, I had a short talk with my colleagues on the use and misuse of Antibiotics and the dangers of resistance as a public health problem.
*Disclaimer: Please note that the participants shown above are our scholarship beneficiaries. They are not from our online EPP courses, since it is yet to begin
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