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Each morning, as the city of Islamabad comes to life, I walk into Shifa International Hospital—a JCI-accredited center of excellence—carrying a profound sense of responsibility and gratitude. As a resident pharmacist under the prestigious ASHP-International Pharmacy Practice Residency Program Year 1 (IPPRP-1), I am currently immersed in my oncology rotation—a field that challenges, humbles, and inspires me every single day.

In oncology pharmacy, we rely heavily on our procurement teams to ensure the availability of medicines for our patients. We liaise with them regularly, and in an effort to shine a light (and not take all of the credit), Michael Jovanovic (Formulary Pharmacist) and Danni Avery (Purchasing Officer) share their thoughts on dealing with stock issues for our unit:

It was a Thursday afternoon -our busiest day of the week- when Ms. A.B., a woman in her late 40s, walked into the pharmacy for a follow-up visit. She wore a brightly colored dress, beamed with a wide smile, and clutched a thank-you card. We had barely exchanged pleasantries when she embraced me tightly and said, “You didn’t just give me medicine, you gave me hope. You helped me fight a good fight and run the race to the finish.” as an oncology pharmacist in a Nigerian hospital.

A Wonderful Experience of Volunteering at the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Hospital in Rabat, Morocco

My name is Dr. Aoko Koyoson, a pharmacist at the outpatient Oncology pharmacy at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.  As dawn breaks over Nairobi's skyline, the Cancer Treatment Centre at Kenyatta National Hospital springs to life. It is a chilly Thursday morning, the air is crisp, and with it comes the weight of responsibility that we, the oncology outpatient pharmacy team, carry each day. Our mission? To ensure safe, timely and correct medication delivery to hundreds of cancer patients. 

I work at the Catalan Institute of Oncology, a comprehensive cancer center, serving approximately 60% of Catalonia’s adult population, which is around 5 million people. We work as a network of 4 different centers in Hospitalet, Badalona, Girona and Tarragona. Our staff includes 26 pharmacist specialists in hospital pharmacy, 27 pharmacy technicians, and 6 administrative support professionals. We also work in alliance with 21 Catalan hospitals.

I leave a green, leafy suburb in central Johannesburg, and within 20 minutes I need to navigate the notorious herd of goats that frequent the area just outside of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Colloquially know as “Bara”, this sprawling 170-acre hospital is currently the 7th biggest in the world, and the biggest in Africa at 3200 beds.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most desperate times in a patient's life, as they are dealing with physical, mental, and financial anguish all at once. In Vietnam, pharmacists are overworked since they have to fulfill multiple roles at work, and there are no standard practice guidelines in place. As a result of the country's tight national procurement regulations, the choice of prescription is frequently influenced by drug shortages. It is fair to say that every day for cancer pharmacists is difficult.

One of the things I love about my job is the variety it contains and the fact that I get to wear a number of different hats as part of my role. I can be a clinical pharmacist, a prescriber, a teacher, a trainer, a researcher and a manager at different times of the working week and so it is perhaps difficult to describe a “typical” day. But I will do my best……

It was the morning of Tuesday, March 31, 2020, I woke up to prepare for work as usual. I got ready and set out in my car at about 7:30am to arrive the hospital within the usual 20minutes drive. I live in a satellite town, outskirt of the capital city of Nigeria (Abuja). I had barely driven for five minutes when I met a military check point with many vehicles in a long queue, taking turns to be cleared, before continuing their journey. More than half of the vehicles were sent back. As I approached the check point,, there were fierce looking police and military officers and some public health workers in white gowns, checking passengers' temperature and ensuring they wore face masks.