As part of the World Pharmacists Day 2025 celebrations, Amrita School of Pharmacy organized a series of programs between 25th–30th September 2025 at Amrita Hospital, Kochi. The initiatives were led by the Department of Pharmacy Practice along with Pharm.D interns.
On 25th September 2025, 4th and 5th year Pharm.D students, under the guidance of Dr. Selin C Joy (Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy Practice) and Dr. Rahul Radhakrishnan (Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice) organized a distribution of badges, pens, and chocolates to honour the pharmacists of Amrita Hospital. A total of 207 badges were distributed. The initiative began with the Chief Pharmacists, led by Dr. Sabitha M (Principal, Amrita School of Pharmacy), Dr. Narmadha M.P. (Head, Pharmacy Practice), and Mr. Dinesh (Head Clinical Pharmacist). Students systematically visited the inpatient, outpatient, casualty, central store, purchase, research, and clinical pharmacy units, ensuring full participation. The gesture was warmly received and highlighted the integral role of pharmacists in healthcare delivery.Pharm.D interns also conducted an awareness session in the Adult Cardiology OPD focusing on antiplatelets, anticoagulants, INR monitoring, and dietary considerations. The session, led by Anaswara Anil Vasudev (Pharm.D) intern with support from Dr. Gayathri Baburaj (Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice) and Dr. Meenu Vijayan (Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice) empowered patients and bystanders with practical knowledge. Interactive discussions addressed medication schedules, adherence, and lifestyle modifications. Participants reported improved confidence in managing their medications, underlining the pharmacist’s role in patient counselling.
On 26th September 2025, an awareness program was organized in the Stroke Medicine OPD. Presentations by Agnete Baiju, Devanarayanan, Devika Vinod, Rajalakshmi, Ardra A Sankar, and Vishnu Unnikrishnan (Pharm.D Interns) highlighted stroke management, the importance of timely therapy, medication safety, INR monitoring, and dietary modifications with support from Dr. Selin C Joy. Patients and caregivers actively engaged with the team, and the initiative received positive feedback for bridging gaps in stroke awareness and safe drug use.
On 29th September 2025, Pharm.D interns collaborated with the Department of Pediatrics to deliver an engaging roleplay session at the OPD reception area which highlighted common errors in antibiotic use, suppository administration, and inhaler techniques. Practical counselling was shown as three different scenarios, making it interactive for both parents and children. The activity emphasized safe medicine use and the critical role of clinical pharmacists in pediatric healthcare. A team of interns conducted an awareness session in the Pulmonary Medicine OPD on the correct use of inhalers. Patients were individually counselled, given questionnaires to assess baseline knowledge, and provided access to a QR-linked instructional guide for continued reference. The session promoted safe inhaler techniques and adherence.
On 30th September 2025, an awareness activity was held at the Day Care Chemodilution waiting area for caregivers of oncology patients. Posters prepared by Pharm.D interns highlighted myths vs. facts in chemotherapy, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and neutropenic care. The session clarified misconceptions, improved ADR awareness, and promoted preventive strategies. Caregivers expressed appreciation for the accessible and reliable information.
As part of the larger celebrations, a weekly education initiative was launched across departments. Pharm.D interns delivered short classes on drug-related topics to patients and bystanders. This initiative not only improved medication knowledge but also fostered interns’ clinical communication skills, strengthening the healthcare delivery system.
In parallel, a long-term counselling initiative was launched at the Amrita Urban Health Centre, Kaloor. Running from 25thSeptember 2025 to 09thApril 2026, fifth-year Pharm D students will provide daily patient counselling. The initiative focuses on improving patient understanding of medication use and supporting better health outcomes through pharmacist-led education. Additionally, two fifth-year Pharm D students have been assigned to counsel patients on chronic diseases at the Edappally Family Health Centre from 12th October 2025 to 09thApril 2026.
Overall, these initiatives underscored the vital contributions of pharmacists, enhanced patient and bystander awareness, and reinforced the role of Pharm D interns as emerging healthcare professionals.
