Pharmacists help asthma patients

MEDIA RELEASE

8 May 2009

Pharmacists help asthma patients use their medication better

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand and the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation are delighted that 16 Guild pharmacies across New Zealand are donating their time to help Asthma Awareness Week by running asthma clinics in their pharmacies.

The pharmacies are working in partnership with and support from Asthma Societies in their area and the Foundation.

Pharmacies are not paid for this activity by the patient or the government. “We are doing this to help the community and at the same time demonstrate what a difference a pharmacist can make to medicines usage,” says Annabel Young, Chief Executive of the Guild.

The week, part of the Foundation’s nationwide Balloon Day campaign, involves events and promotion in community pharmacies, Mitre 10 stores, schools, public libraries, hospitals and medical centres across the country. The campaign raises money for child asthma research and increases awareness of the illness.

“Pharmacies are readily accessible to patients and pharmacists are trained to counsel patients about better use of their medication – they were a logical choice to host asthma education clinics,” says the Foundations’ Executive Director, Jane Patterson.

Pharmacist Graeme Blanchard from Brooklyn Pharmacy in Wellington says a lot of people don’t use their inhalers properly and the asthma clinics provide an education opportunity to help people learn better techniques when using their medication and inhalers.

“Balloon Day gives us another occasion to look after our customers so that they get better health results from their medication,” he says.

Associate Health Minister, Tariana Turia, supports the fight against asthma. “Balloon Day is a great campaign for raising the awareness of asthma… I encourage all New Zealanders to get behind the campaign,” she said.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of asthma in the world. An estimated 600,000 New Zealanders have asthma, including about one in four children. Asthma is the most common reason our children are admitted to hospital and can be life threatening if not properly managed.

ends

© Scoop Media