The symposium gathers healthcare professionals from different areas: policymakers, regulators, academicians, pharmacy professionals, and other health professionals, pharmacy students and other university students from all over the regional universities to provide a platform for discussions on the best practices and regulations of the healthcare profession, learning from each other, sharing of experiences, and ideas on improving the professional status as well as grabbing the  extraordinary opportunities found in the pharmaceutical sector.

The last (11th IPS) annual symposium was held at the Havard hall in the University of Rwanda-Remera campus from 03rd – 05th March 2022, under the theme “Towards Good Pharmacy Practice: Moving from basic competence to modern practice.”

The current which is the 12th RPSA International Pharmaceutical Symposium will be held in Kigali from 03rd – 05th March 2023, under the theme ‘‘Extending the horizon of the pharmacy profession through technology: Break the ceiling for a better future”.

It will be an opportunity to intensify the crucial role of technology in improving pharmaceutical care, ensuring the efficiency of services, unlocking capacity within pharmacy teams, and facilitating improved sharing of information between healthcare practitioners and patients. In addition, it will reflect on the pharmacists’ role in making a significant impact on delivering improved health and social care services.

Specialized pharmacist stands out as the most qualified to take on today’s expanding expectations of patients, physicians, employers, and others who recognize the increasing need for a team approach to healthcare services.

General Objectives of the 12th International Pharmaceutical Symposium

1. To discuss the significance of technology in patient care delivery, pharmaceutical manufacturing, innovation, and medicine quality control.
2. To provide awareness on pharmacovigilance and indicate the use of technology to increase case reporting of adverse reactions of drugs and vaccines which is beneficial for post-marketing surveillance.
3. To highlight the role and responsibility of pharmacists in fighting NCDs, Anti-Microbial resistance (AMR), and other global health threats.
4. To showcase approaches for students’ capacity building on exchanges of information in the research and development in the field of pharmacy.

Specific objectives of the 12th International Pharmaceutical Symposium

• To demonstrate the use of technology in information dispensing.
• To highlight the relevance and the role of a pharmacist in post-marketing surveillance.
• To raise awareness on current technology improving good pharmacy practice.
• To assess the impact of technology on pharmaceutical accessibility.
• To shed light on the unexploited research opportunities in pharmacy
• To shed light on the pharmacovigilance and reporting system of Rwanda FDA
• To highlight the guidelines for grading pharmacy professionals in Rwanda.
• To explore the status of pharmacy specialities in Rwanda and their gaps
• To examine the lessons learned from COVID-19 for the prevention of future pandemics
• To comprehend the role played by technology in combating the world’s global health threats.

The symposium will be consisting of oral presentations, panel discussions, poster presentations, experienced and inspiring speakers and pharmacy professional development activities, and the exhibition of products and services by the major sponsors.

• The 12th International Pharmaceutical Students Symposium expects that the participants will clearly understand how technology is being exploited in achieving pharmacy professional excellence. Students will be enlightened about how to use the available resources to do research related to the field.
• Also, students will be inspired and learned from successful health professionals through experience sharing.
• Last but not the least, each participant will know his/her contribution to combating global health issues.

Participation in the symposium