Malta Declaration on Pharmacy Education

A declaration on pharmacy education was adopted by the Executive Committee and delegates (310) from 68 schools of pharmacy and pharmacy institutions from 29 countries at the 2005 Annual Conference of the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP) held on March 9-12 in Malta in agreement with the La Laguna Position Statement.

The aim of this declaration is to define university courses for pharmacy education programmes so as to promote harmonisation and co-operation among faculties of pharmacy in Europe. This will promote international student and staff mobility and supports recognition of professional qualifications between EU member states.

EAFP recognises EU directive 85/432; the amended proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications the recommendations of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the recommendations of the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU).

EAFP holds that: a) Pharmacist education programmes should be equivalent to at least 300 ECTS; b) a balance between theoretical, laboratory and patient centred training is required while maintaining the university character of the curriculum; c) a thorough grounding in the basic sciences including research approach should be maintained while contemporary developments in pharmacy namely pharmaceutical care, professionalism - values, behaviours and attitudes, clinical pharmacy and clinical analysis, prescription and non-prescription medicines regulatory affairs, pharmacoeconomics, medical devices and industrial pharmacy should be given adequate coverage; d) a six-month traineeship in a pharmacy which is open to the public or in a hospital under the supervision of a pharmacist should be carried out within the university course so as to integrate the knowledge-base and professional practice within a university milieu, and e) in addition to the training period mentioned in (d), training periods should be considered for other pharmacy related areas such as industrial pharmacy. Training periods may also be offered in one or more optional areas depending on the individual institution.

EAFP recommends at least a five-year programme of university education and training for a pharmacist to ensure that the individual has acquired knowledge and skills in the scientific areas of chemistry and manufacture of medicines, effects, actions and use of medicines as well as in the practice areas of the provision of professional services according to good professional standards, evaluation of information on medicines and pursuit of continuing professional development programmes in the interest of patients requiring therapeutical intervention.

The Malta Declaration on Pharmacy Education was presented to the University Rector Professor Roger Ellul Micallef last week by Professor Benito del Castillo Garcia as well as to the Minister of Education Dr Louis Galea at the closing ceremony of the EAFP 2005 Conference.

Before the presentation Professor Roger Ellul Micallef delivered a paper on "Pharmacy and Pharmacists during the Time of the Knights of St John" which was highly appreciated by the European academic audience.