Coronavirus Pandemic Tops List Of Healthcare Priorities Worldwide: DUPHAT 2021

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 07th Apr, 2021) The 26th edition of the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition (DUPHAT) concluded today at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The three-day premier pharma event featured several key scientific sessions, workshops and highly specialised sessions which focused on presenting the most up-to-date knowledge and advances in the industry.

The scientific committee had released several recommendations highlighting artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmacy, Health Technology Assessment (HTA), and other issues and latest practices to name a few. The recommendations were released as follows: 1. Artificial intelligence is gaining momentum and it is essential for healthcare and, in particular, pharmacy practices to adopt AI to encounter the challenges of machine learning versus cognitive biases apart from taking advantage of the opportunities.

2. Health Technology Assessment is vital and decision-making and needs to be undertaken with precision as well as economic benefits.

3. Pharmacy Governance forms the core of all activities and policies critical to its implementation, as well as diligence, and will take the pharmacy practice forward.

4. The coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken centre-stage and has affected health economics in the most dramatic manner. Therefore in this regard pharmacy professionals need to implement careful and tangible health economics.

5. Vaccine technology has had dramatic developments. A good understanding of the new technology is important for pharmacists in particular the new RNA-based medicines.

6. Accreditation of pharmacy services is the way forward to establish standards and benchmark against the best and, therefore, pharmacy managers and administrators must accredit their facilities.

7. The COVID-19 pandemic is the most important, however, other issues should not be neglected, in particular, the role of pharmacists in fighting the opioid epidemic.

8. Pharmacoepidemiology can contribute a lot to pharmacy practice. Therefore it is time that pharmacists utilise such tools to enhance their services and bring about quality care in the practice space.

9. Pharmacy professionals are important in the defence against COVID-19. They have been contributing towards the fight against the pandemic in many roles from frontline workers to the creators of vaccines and medicines. In such a scenario there is even greater responsibility for the pharmacists of today to lead from the front and advance the profession of pharmacy.

10. The future of pharmacy rests on furthering drug discovery and innovation and in this landscape intellectual property is powering innovation in particular for introducing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.

In addition, visitors, exhibitors, attendees and participants praised the distinctive organisation of the event, as well as the high level of commitment they witnessed to safety, prevention and public health measures, and the precautionary and preventive laws imposed by the authorities.

INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions, a member of INDEX Holding, the organisers of DUPHAT, confirmed the instrumental role conferences and exhibitions play in continuous education, in addition to the local economy as well.

Furthermore, DUPHAT 2021 was accessible virtually for those who have registered. Nonetheless, the DUPHAT 2021 exhibition witnessed outstanding participation of pharmacists and specialists and attracted a large number of decision-makers.