Student Mobility Program to Philippines :)

Mabuhay and good day everyone! I am here to share with you our journey to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, Philippines. 10 of us were lucky enough to participate in this mobility program which was held from the 1st to 15th of July 2018. Our 2-week stay in UST included a mixture of academic and non-academic sessions which was a perfect balance between learning and having fun.

For the academic part, classes were carried out via lectures, lab sessions, sharing sessions and visits. The most interesting part for me, academic wise, was the visit to the community pharmacy and hospital. In the Philippines, dispensing separation is being carried out. The community pharmacy we visited – Watsons, had their own Watson Generic drugs and the place allocated for drug dispensing and prescription counter was large enough to hold 3 to 4 racks of drugs, something that is not seen in Malaysia. An interesting fact is that pharmacist there can administer vaccines, provided this is done under direct supervision of a medical practitioner. As for our visit to Makati Hospital (Makati Med), we were able to learn and see how medicines are dispensed for in-patients. Makati Med has a very organised system where pharmacists are allocated to different teams to carry out different responsibilities such as screening of prescriptions, packing and so on. The whole process is being timed, from the moment the prescription is received, until the moment the drugs are being dispensed. This system monitor progress and helps to increase the efficiency of the department, enabling them to improve their service and to provide better healthcare services to the public.

Besides studies, were able to experience life like a local as our UST friends brought us around campus and around the city of Manila. We went to popular hang-out places that students frequently go to and were able to visit popular tourist spots such as Paco Park, Rizal Park, Intramuros, National Museum, Las Casas de Filipina, Enchanted Kingdom and so on. The most unforgettable part was the visit to Taal Volcano. We opted to hike up instead of riding horses. We were told that the hike up was around 2km, but no one informed us how steep and tiring it would be! It was challenging as the weather was hot and the smell of sulphur was evident towards the end but once at the peak, the view at the top made the hike worthwhile as it was breath-taking.

Throughout our 15-day program there, we managed to experience the food, culture of the place and at the same time learn more about pharmacy programs in the Philippines. A big shout-out to the student officers from the Junior Pharmacist Association (JPA) and the University of Santo Tomas for being such a great host. We truly appreciate the time and effort everyone put in to make this program a success. Not to forget the Faculty of Pharmacy UKM, thank you for giving us this opportunity to explore and learn more.

As a final word to say, we gained a lot from this mobility program. Everyone we met throughout this trip has been very welcoming and it was indeed an amazing trip. Friendships were forged, memories were created. We look forward to more programs like this and I hope that everyone can grab the opportunity to be part of it when it comes. Thank you, Salamat po!