King Edward Hospital Pharmacist intern wins South African Association of Hospitals and Institutional Pharmacists (SAAHP) Award

Mr Nitesh Brijlal, a pharmacist intern at KEH, made the hospital proud by winning the Life Healthcare award for the best podium presentation at the 25th South African Association of Hospitals and Institutional Pharmacists (SAAHIP) conference. The award-winning honours research project was conducted in 2010 by a group of 4th-year UKZN School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology students, to which Brijlal belonged. The conference was held between 3-6 March this year at the Champagne Sports Resort in Drakensberg.

Mr Brijlal was sponsored by the SAAHIP KZN Coastal branch to attend and present his group’s research findings. The other group members, Ms Nikkie Khoza, Ms Ncamisile Mbonane, Ms S’Phumelelo Meyiwa, Ms Saranya Moodley, Ms Trishal Parbhoo and Ms Eveshani Pillay, are currently enrolled in various internships nationwide and they nominated Mr Brijlal as presenter.

The project was titled “The Attitudes and Knowledge of Pharmacists towards the Use of Herbal Medicine”. Pharmacists were given questionnaires and their pharmacological knowledge on various herbs as well as their attitudes towards herbal medicine was assessed. Results from the study suggested that (1) pharmacognosy should be incorporated into the pharmacy curriculum; (2) continuing education programmes on herbal medicine for practicing pharmacists should be encouraged; (3) more scientific research ought to be conducted with respect to herbal medicine; and (4) the registration of herbal medicine would be beneficial.

The same project won the best community research project at the School’s Research Day in September 2010 and Brijlal is reported to have been “a great speaker” by the group’s supervisor, Dr Johannes Bodenstein, who lectures in the Discipline of Pharmacology. Dr Bodenstein and the Head of School, Professor Fatima Suleman, were happy to receive the good news and congratulatory comments on the presentation at the conference. “I would like to thank the SAAHIP KZN Coastal Branch, and especially the Chair, Ms Roma Ramphal, for sponsoring Mr Brijlal to make a difference in many people’s lives,” said Bodenstein. The SAAHIP KZN Coastal Branch also walked off with the Best Spirit Award “for a branch delegation that clearly had loads of fun,” said Prof Suleman.

Mr Brijlal indicated that he would like to thank his research group and everyone else who made this experience possible. “Bringing the trophy home to KZN was definitely the highlight for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and had a fantastic time that will undoubtedly be firmly etched in my memory,” said Mr Brijlal.

Nitesh Brijlal with Kajal Ganesh from Life
Healthcare

From left: Ms Saranya Moodley; Ms Trishal Parbhoo; Ms S'Phumelelo Meyiwa; Mr Nitesh Brijlal; Ms Eveshani Pillay; Ms Nikkie Khoza and Ms Ncamisile Mbonane

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