Malaysian Pharmacists Society

The Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) is the national association for pharmacists formed in 1967 to promote and maintain the honour and interests of the profession of pharmacy in Malaysia. It also aims to uphold and enhance the standard and ethics of the profession.

Its motto is "Berkhidmat Untuk Kesihatan Rakyat" or translated as “Service Towards A Healthy Society".

The Society plays an important role to further the development of pharmacy and pharmaceutical education and to foster intra-professional relationship among members. It strives to improve the Science of Pharmacy for the general welfare of the public by fostering the publication of scientific and professional information relating to the practice of pharmacy and aid in the development and stimulation of discovery, invention and research. In this way it also assist in improving the health services in the country.

The Society also represents the interests of its members and also the general public by having representatives at the Pharmacy Board and the Poisons Board of the Ministry of Health, and other consumer-related interest groups, as well as having interest in the consumers affairs of the Ministry of Trade and Domestic Affairs, and including other Non-Governmental Organizations.

As a society it will represent the views of the members in matters affecting the common interest of the profession.

To enhance the professionalism of pharmacists, the Society endorsed the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists as established by the Pharmacy Board of Malaysia.

Membership is opened to all registered pharmacists in Malaysia. There are 5 categories of membership.

Ordinary Membership shall be opened to every Pharmacist who is registered under the existing laws of Malaysia. This group can also opt for Life Membership. Associate Membership is available for all graduates of pharmacy who are not preparing for registration as pharmacists, and also for pharmacists teaching pharmacy as a full time lecturer in a recognised institutions of higher learning in Malaysia.

Provisionally Registered Pharmacist (PRP) membership shall be opened to all graduates preparing for registration as pharmacists.

Undergraduate Student Members shall be opened to all students of Pharmacy pursuing any course in Pharmacy in the country. For this group there is a special committee under the MPS to look after their interests by the MyPSA (Malaysian Pharmacist Student Association).

Post-Graduate Pharmacist Membership can also be available for those graduates from pharmacy schools studying a pharmacy course and who pursue further studies in the field of Pharmacy and yet to be registered as pharmacists.

The Society also confers Honorary membership and Fellowship

To pursue the various objectives and aims of the Society, various Chapters and Committees have been formed.

The Chapters are:
 * Community Pharmacy Chapter
 * Community / Public Health Chapter
 * Compounding Pharmacy Chapter
 * Continuing Professional Development Chapter
 * Education Chapter
 * Emergency Pharmacy Chapter
 * Halal Pharmaceuticals Chapter
 * Health Technologies, Devices & Innovation Chapter
 * Hospital/Clinical Pharmacy Chapter
 * Industrial / Manufacturing Chapter
 * Media and Publicity Chapter
 * Membership Chapter
 * MyPSA Chapter
 * Public Pharmacy Chapter
 * Regulatory Affairs Pharmacy Chapter
 * Young Pharmacists Chapter

The various committees that have been set up, and some on ad-hoc basis depending on needs to see to the projects and strategies are being carried out are:
 * Preceptor & PRP Affairs
 * Pharmacists Insurance
 * Renal Pharmacy
 * International Affiliates
 * National Convention
 * Grants & Awards Advisory
 * National Convention
 * Social Entrepreneurship and Welfare
 * Pharmacy Legislation / Jurisprudence
 * Finance
 * Protocol
 * Pharmacy Practice & Ethics
 * Strategic Meeting

Some of the Task Force / Focus groups are also established for specific projects e.g.
 * Malaysian Journal of Pharmacy
 * iBulletin
 * RUUF
 * Constitution
 * AMR-MPS
 * Anti-Inducement of Health Professionals
 * Allied Against Dengue
 * MQuit
 * Renal Pharmacy

There are also other third-party interest groups which MPS participate as in National Medicine Policy (DUNAS)
 * Quality use of medicine
 * Orphan Drugs
 * MADRAC
 * National Credentialing
 * Good Governance for Medicines
 * Malaysia Anti-Competition Commission

The Society has been appointed by the Pharmacy Board of Malaysia to provide an online recording of CPD points by pharmacists especially in the private sector and to provide credit points to providers. To facilitate this a dedicated website has been set up since 2004 (www.mps.org.my/cpdonline)

The Society is actively engaging pharmacists in Continuing Professional Development activities. Throughout the year courses and seminars are being organized to facilitate pharmacists’ participation. It is also pursuing accreditation of pharmacies for standardisation of practice.

Realising the importance of continuing education for its members, the MPS has set up a Malaysian Continuing Pharmacy Education chapter. This Chapter facilitates the running of continuing education for the members and conduct courses throughout the year through correspondence as well as through meetings held throughout the country. Such continuing education is also being pursued and supplemented by the local area committees’ activities.

Annually awards are being provided to deserving students from local pharmacy institutions. They are being presented with the MPS Gold Medallist Award for each deserving graduating student from each university.

There is also a category for student membership. Through this channel students can focus their activities through various interest groups (NoGAPS, IPSF, Student Chapter). Special consideration is also given to students to attend MPS-organised activities either through complimentary invitation, or at special student rates.

One special and important group is the Young Pharmacists Chapter which has a large membership. This chapter could be view as the nurturing station for future leaders of the profession.

The MPS is a signatory to the Patient's Charter. The other signatories are the Malaysian Medical Association, Malaysian Dental Association and FOMCA. This Charter was signed on 21st August 1995.

International Affiliations
The Society's international affiliation includes:
 * Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association
 * Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Association

Locally, the Society is a member of the Malaysian Professional Centre, or Balai Ikhtisas Malaysia whose patron is the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Management & Organisation of the Society
The Society is managed by a team of 15 Ordinary members who are elected at the Annual General Meetings and hold office for 2 years. The President and other office bearers are elected from this group at the AGM.

In addition to the functional chapters, each state in the country has an Area Committee who conduct similar activities. Each Area is managed similarly with elections of office bearers. Annually each state receive a grant from the national organisation for their activities.

Pharmacists and their work
Today pharmacists in this country can be found in various establishments, being:
 * Government hospitals (patient counselling, drug supply management, ward supply management, cytotoxic drug reconstitution, therapeutic drug monitoring, total parenteral nutrition, clinical pharmacy etc.)
 * Private hospitals with similar functions as government hospital pharmacist
 * Community pharmacies
 * Pharmaceutical trading companies
 * Factories manufacturing pharmaceuticals
 * Factories manufacturing health products, cosmetics
 * Research/analytical laboratories
 * Universities as lecturers, head of departments
 * National Pharmaceuticals Regulatory Agency
 * Enforcement Pharmacists
 * Traditional and Complementary Medicines
 * Veterinary companies

The current population of pharmacists in this country is approaching 17,000. Annually about 1,100 new graduates enter the pool of pharmacists. This will help the pharmacist profession here to be able to fulfill its role as set out in the motto: "Berkhidmat Untuk Kesihatan Rakyat (Service towards a Healthy Malaysian Society)

The Society headquarters is located at Wisma MPS, 1-Puchong Business Park, Puchong. This double lot 3-storey building was officially opened on 11th Nov 2011. There are various training and seminar rooms that cater from groups of 10 to 100 participants.