Welcome to the Phuture: The Robotic Revolution of Healthcare [Artificial Intelligence]

ipsf afro.

.org

The International Pharmaceutical Students Federation

African

Regional

Office

was

established in 2008 during the 54th IPSF General

Assembly

in

Cluj-

Napoca,Romania. Since then, the region has

grown

tremendously

representing

pharmacy students and recent graduates in

19

African

Countries

through

member associations.

IPSFAfRO

/

its

20

Elton Vidal Francis Decker IPSF AfRO Regional Media and Publications Officer

Dear IPSF AfRO Pharmily,

We are on the roller coaster of a healthcare revolution. And that revolution has been so termed Artificial Intelligence - or

Newsletter 14 Editorial Board Cover & back pages: Hezron Munyakin

AI.

It is not only popular and has a good ring to it, but also safe to affirm that it is more of a revolution than an evolution.

There are a number of perks and surreal mix of ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ settling around the use of AI in healthcare. It can be

IPSF AfRO RMPO

of real help in analyzing data and presenting results that

Subcommittee 2019-20

would support decision making, saving human effort, time, and money, and obviously help save lives.

Design & Layout: Elton V. F. Decker

Pharmacy as a profession and business will continue to face

IPSF AfRO Regional Media

hurdles,

and Publications Officer

healthcare system will determine its continuing success. And

2019-20

as

and

literature

efficiency

Editors: Esther Kisanga

how

it

suggest,

and

submits

relevance

leveraging

reduced

AI

operating

to

to

the

improve

costs

while

overall

workflow fostering

safety, accuracy and efficiency in every pharmacy setting could

be

an

important

step

to

take

in

analyzing

Editor, AfRO Bloggers Group

relationships between prevention or treatment techniques

2019-20

and patient outcomes.

IPSF AfRO RMPO

This newsletter defines AI, explores the merits and demerits,

Subcommittee 2019-20

analyzes

Laila Kasumba

Supervised by: Purity Wambui

the

progress

in

various

health

disciplines

and

different parts of the world, and informs us on the readiness of the pharmacy profession to embrace it.

IPSF AfRO Chairperson 2019-

Happy reading!

20

Elton.

Table of Contents Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Yay or Nay?

5

By Ozioma Ezeofor - IPSF AfRO Blogger 2019-20

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Pharmacy Practice in Africa

7

By Qazeem Sanusi - PANS, Nigeria

Could Nanotechnology be the Phuture of Medicine?

9

By Gathai Mundia - KEPhSA, Kenya

Achieving Universal Health Coverage Through Artificial Intelligence

11

By Adedeji Oluwakorede - PANS, Nigeria

Exciting Times for Pharmaceutical Management

13

By Punit Solanki - Pharmacist, Group RP - Quality, Phillips Pharma Group

Artificial Intelligence in R & D of New Medicine

15

By Nayituriki Thierry - RPSA, Rwanda

The Merge Between Infotech and Biotech: A Call to Revise Pharmacy Education

By Castory Munishi - TAPSA, Tanzania

AI in Reducing Pharma's Carbon Footprint

19

By Esther Kisanga - Editor, IPSF AfRO Bloggers Group 2019-20

Effective Healthcare Through AI Induced Transformation

By Hope Mashavakure - IPSF AfRO Blogger 2019-20

21

17

Engaging in Personal Branding and Good Use of Social Media as a Pharmacy Student 23

By Melody Okerere - IPSF AfRO Blogger 2019-20

iRobot

25

By Babatunde Yusuf Olalekan - PANS, Nigeria

Regional Working Group: The Superheroes

Interprofessional Teamwork in Healthcare

26

27

By Nzeribe Emmanuella - IPSF AfRO Regional Relations Officer 2019-20

COVID-19: People Are Good

29

By Laila Kasumba - IPSF AfRO RMPO Subcommittee 2019-20

TAPSA Conducts Symposium to Discuss AI in Solving Healthcare

By Esther Kisanga & Castory Munishi - TAPSA, Tanzania

31

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Yay or Nay?

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Yay or Nay

By Ozioma Ezeofor - IPSF AfRO Blogger 2019-20

E: oziezetheeagle@gmail.com

AI Use in Healthcare The

potential

increasingly

for

AI

and

promising.

8

robotics

ways

in

that

healthcare

show

how

gets

AI

and

robotics are currently transforming healthcare according to PwC:

What is artificial intelligence?

Artificial

intelligence

machine

or

a

(AI)

is

the

ability

computer-controlled

of

robot

a to

perform tasks typically associated with human

Keeping well: AI helps people stay healthy so they don’t

reasoning and intelligence. Human intelligence

need

is being simulated in machines which enables

applications that encourage healthy living.

a

doctor

as

often.

This

is

through

mobile

them to think like and mimic human behaviour.

This

range

perception,

of

capabilities

speech

includes

recognition,

visual

Early detection: Diseases like cancer are detected earlier

decision-

more accurately due to advancements in AI. Early-stage

making, translation between languages, etc.

heart disease can be overseen using medical devices which enable clinicians to better monitor and detect any potentially life-threatening episodes before they become too late.Â

Diagnosis:

In

recent

accurate

diagnoses

advances

in

AI,

years, with

deep

there

artificial

learning

(a

have

been

intelligence. form

of

more With

artificial

intelligence) may become more efficient in diagnosis in the coming years.

Decision making: Predictive analysis is vital for clinical decision-making and actions. Pattern recognition is used to identify patients at risk of developing a condition or deteriorating due to physical and environmental factors.

5

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Yay or Nay?

Treatment: As a result of advancements in pattern

However, this problem can be mitigated if healthcare

recognition

professionals play an active role in the development

and

health

data

analysis,

AI

helps

clinicians take a more patient-centered approach

of

towards

makes

creating the standard and for necessary limitations

recommendations based on the findings. Robots

that should be imposed. It is said that AI is only as

are also used for repetitive tasks, physical therapy,

good as the data used in creating it. Therefore, the

and rehabilitation. This, however, does not replace

data inputted should be robust and varied because

the

any flawed or biased data will result in an erroneous

disease

clinicians

management

or

make

and

absolute

also

decisions

on

patients’ treatment.

this

technology.

Their

knowledge

is

vital

for

output (predictions or diagnosis) which will ultimately result in flawed treatment options for the patient. The

End

of

life

care:

Due

to

the

different

and

sometimes slower, lonelier ways people come to

appropriate inclusion of AI will help achieve a more accurate diagnosis and greater efficiency.

the end of their lives, robots have the potential to revolutionize end of life care by reducing the need for

hospitalization

and

home

care

and

helping

people remain independent longer. AI combined

Effects of AI on Human Resources

with

Every

advancements

enabling

robots

to

in

humanoid

go

even

design

further

and

is

have

single

history

has

technological brought

advancement

about

economic

in

human

development

“conversations” and other social interactions with

and a better standard of living for people because

people, keeping their minds sharp.

they

leveraged

However,

on

the

productivity

advancements

in

AI

of

will

everyone.

leverage

the

Research: According to the California Biomedical

productivity of specially skilled people which means

Research

the

that even though it will create new job roles, it will

research lab to the patient takes an average of 12

displace more job roles than it creates. The jobs most

years. AI helps streamline drug discovery and drug

at

repurposing processes cutting both time and cost

predictable.

of new drugs.

healthcare

Association,

the

journey

from

risk

are

those

that

This

shows

like

are

routine,

that

empathy,

some

repetitive basic

creativity,

and

points

and

of

human

relationships might not be so easily taken over by Training:

As

AI

healthcare

robots. Training clinicians on the effective use of this

professionals need training in this new technology,

technology would help mitigate the fear of job loss

its

due

advantages

and

like

Robotics

improved

grow,

cost,

quality,

and

to

AI.

These

tools

aren’t

meant

to

replace

access to health care, and its shortfalls such as

clinicians but their use should help in more accurate

transparency and liability.

decision-making

and

more

effective

treatment

options.

What About Patient Safety?

Conclusion

With the sudden rise in the roles of AI in healthcare,

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm and

patient safety has become an important focus for

every

clinicians

and

the

general

population.

There

walk

of

life

is

evolving

to

accommodate

it.

are

Healthcare is at the center of livelihood and whatever

concerns for patient safety, health equity, and data

happens, human lives must be the priority. Artificial

security because, without careful thought, AI could

intelligence

do more harm than good for healthcare.

system depending on how it evolves and how much

can

build

or

destroy

the

healthcare

clinicians are involved in that evolution. The future of the

world

is

in

Robotics

and

so

is

the

future

of

healthcare.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

6

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Pharmacy Practice in Africa

Impact of Artificial Intelligence

on the Future of Pharmacy Practice in Africa

By Qazeem Sanusi - PANS, Nigeria

E: sanusiqazeem2020@gmail.com

In ancient times, pharmacy practice had experienced

On this note lies the concept of Artificial Intelligence

relative

setbacks

optimum,

and

enhanced

healthcare.

There

lapses and

was

a

in

the

quality crucial

provision

of

whose

delivery

of

impossible

need

for

the

discovery of tactical and feasible approaches that

relevance to

to

pharmacy

overstate

as

we

practice must

would

be

recognize

the

indispensable roles that artificial intelligence plays in improving health and patient outcomes.

would enhance better health outcomes and maximum output without reducing productivity. However, over

Sequel

the

years,

of

artificial

tasks easily, faster, accurately and more efficiently,

from

the

a

Africa

trends

intelligence with the ability to perform multifaceted

to

in

emerging

has

product-oriented

practice

the

experienced a paradigm change as it has evolved a

pharmacy

to

patient-oriented

era

use

of

and

devices

with

pharmacists’ work less cumbersome.

the

increasing

technological

7

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

demands

of

the

the

machines

hence the need for pharmacy education to meet up

world.

in

robots,

pharmaceutical

other

sector

computed

have

made

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Pharmacy Practice in Africa

Artificial intelligence as a concept refers to the use of

automated

traditionally

algorithms

rely

on

to

human

perform

tasks

intelligence.

which

Every

day,

innovations are achieved to further tackle problems facing the world today. This technology now seems to be swerving towards the healthcare space as it has proven

to

be

of

utmost

importance

to

pharmacy

practice in the African region.

Today,

in

complex

Africa, and

access

to

healthcare

multifaceted.

is

Stretched

more

by

the

increasing costs of healthcare and poor healthcare financing,

minimal

operational

policy

interventions

inefficiencies

by

the

and

pharmacy

manpower, the need to address the demands for high quality healthcare is urgent, and it is high time we had evaluated the indispensable role that AI plays in this regard. While AI has been around for quite some decades, Africa is still at the start of the journey. AI is now

gaining

practice

grounds

because

and

of

its

momentum

capability

in

to

pharmacy

help

breed

acumen from huge volumes of data.

Artificial

Intelligence

interactions,

drug

offers

therapy

guidance monitoring

on

drug

and

drug

pharmacy management system. In Africa where we are faced with a shortage of pharmacists, AI can be to

address

the

growing

demands

for

prescriptions, improve workflow efficiency and lower operating

costs

while

promoting

safety,

accuracy,

and efficiency in our pharmacy setting. Automated dispensing will also provide pharmacists with more time to engage with a greater volume of patients while

also

enhancing

their

health

outcomes.

Pharmacies in the African region can become health management

centers

instead

of

only

medication

fulfillment locations as health trackers can be used to offer

real-time

capture

of

data

that

can

enable

pharmacists to follow up with at-risk patients on their conditions and monitor their quality of improvement.

Just recently was the news of a powerful antibiotic, halicin that was discovered using machine learning algorithm.

the

process

potential

of

uses

drug

from

discovery,

initial

AI

has

many

of

drug

screening

compounds to prediction of the success rate of a drug. It is also noteworthy to highlight that Chinese technology giant, Alibaba recently developed an AI system for diagnosing the COVID-19 in few seconds with 96% accuracy.

Sadly, the wider perspective in the African pharmacy practice

is

that

AI

would

transform

the

pharmaceutical sector, possibly resulting in the loss of jobs or displacements. However, studies have shown that with the aid of AI in the pharmaceutical sector,

formulary selection. In pharmacy practice, AI is called

used

In

productivity, yield, and output typically improves, and that advancement most likely results in higher output, reduced

healthcare

financing,

better

patient,

and

health outcomes. In African pharmacy practice, we have not yet enjoyed the indispensable benefits of artificial intelligence. This explains why the sector has suffered

quite

a

lot

of

setbacks

in

the

optimal

delivery of healthcare.

However,

as

the

Africa

future

approaches,

should

adopt

practice

in

artificial

intelligence

as

it

the

would

pharmacy

concept

be

of

of

great

importance leading to increased productivity, better healthcare and patient outcomes, more efficient drug discovery

and

management. healthcare region

As

analysis, one

providers,

also

need

to

and

of

accurate

the

most

pharmacists brace

up,

in

data

accessible the

acquire

African

skills

that

would make them relevant and equip them with the technical

know-how

to

meet

up

with

the

technological innovation and revolution taking place in

pharmacy

practice;

a

necessary

step

towards

impacting the future of pharmacy practice in Africa.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

8

Could Nanotechnology be the Phuture of Medicine?

Could Nanotechnology be

the Phuture of Medicine?

9

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Could Nanotechnology be the Phuture of Medicine?

Many

problems

that

affect

the

world

healthcare

today, such as lack of adherence in medicines, drug overdose, and antimicrobial resistance can be solved by the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Researchers

are

designing

indigestible

pills

that

harbor sensors that can stay in the stomach for a few weeks while connecting wirelessly with an external device such as a pc, smartphone or wearables. The capsule is designed as a star-shaped capsule with six arms that fold up before being encased in a smooth capsule.

When

swallowed,

the

pill

lodges

in

the

stomach for about a month before it disintegrates and

is

passed

commands release

through

from

drugs

the

in

the

digestive

external

different

device,

quantities

tract. the

and

Upon

pills

can

different Other Artificial intelligence technologies being tested

durations.

for use in the pharma world are: The

pills

are

manufactured

using

3D

printing

technology that could be used to deliver drugs to treat different types of diseases easing tension to the

Smart bandages which are made of hydrogel and can be left out to until they dissolve

patients particularly where a patient is needed to take a drug for a longer period. They could also be used to sense the amount of drug in the blood at different

times

hence

detecting

bioavailability

and

clearance which are essential for treatment. All these

"DNA origami" robots that seek a protein found in cancer cells and release a blood-clotting enzyme.

After some time, the blood supply to the tumor is cut.

can be communicated between the patient and the doctor's

smartphone.

These

pills

could

help

many

patients adhere to the strict regimens required for patients

with

chronic

diseases

and

also

HIV

and

Micromotors

propels

stomach The pills could respond to early signs of a disease

contain

tiny

beads

of

with few side effects by using a hydrogen bubble that

Malaria.

which

magnesium and titanium. It treats stomach ulcers

each

lining,

bead

then

until

it

neutralizes

sticks the

to

pH

the

before

releasing an antibiotic.

with the appropriate drug. For example, if it detects an

infection,

the

capsule

could

begin

releasing

antibiotics. Or, it could disseminate an antihistamine in an event where an allergic reaction is detected.

Researchers are exploring the possibility of replacing the silver oxide battery, which is currently used, with stomach acid as a source of power.

Atmo

Gas

capsule

which

is

a

permeable

membrane that allows gases to enter the capsule, sensors

detect

levels

of

oxygen,

hydrogen,

and

CO2. It could be used in diagnosing GI disorders, identify patients at risk of colon cancer and other diseases

and

also

in

understanding

food

sensitivities and individual nutrition.

A

vibrating

contractions

By Gathai Mundia - KEPhSA, Kenya

E: sgathai11@gmail.com

capsule to

which

jumpstart

promotes digestion.

muscle It

can

effectively treat constipation without the use of laxatives and any major side effects.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

10

Achieving Universal Health Coverage Through Artificial Intelligence

Achieving Universal Health Coverage Through Artificial Intelligence

By Adedeji Oluwakorede - PANS, Nigeria

E: oluwakorede2017@gmail.com

Improvement

in

primary

healthcare

services

and

increased funding have increased health coverage in some states since local citizens now have access to health professionals and drug treatment. Impressive reports have been obtained such as the reduction of child

mortality

Sub-Saharan

by

54%

Africa

between

and

by

1990

67%

and

in

2015

North

in

Africa.

AIDS-related deaths and maternal mortality have also dropped significantly. Nonetheless, more work is still to

be

done

because

a

large

proportion

of

the

population still needs basic healthcare amenities.

Healthcare

has

evolved

through

history,

from

traditional medicine practiced by the primitive man,

Proper healthcare is a right of every human that should not incur financial burden or poverty, instead, many individuals do not have access to this necessity.

down to western medicine and now it's time for a new

otherwise

encompasses basic

the

healthcare

availability services

to

and every

affordability member

of

of the

population and implies that every citizen should not have to suffer because of a lack of access to good treatment or because of the high financial cost. It is the major topic of discussion for a while now since the last few years but sadly, not much progress has been achieved especially in particular rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.

of

evolution

known

as

to

Machine

Artificial

Intelligence.

symptoms,

laboratory

databases,

past

results,

treatment,

health

treatment

records, guidelines,

etc., and to use such data to achieve certain goals as

improved

interpretation

of

imaging,

radiology

accurate results,

diagnosis,

and

even

in

treatment. Artificial Intelligence is perceived by many as still far way, some even think it exists only in sci-fi movies and what most people don’t know is that it is already

here

Intelligence

and

will

in

the

nearest

revolutionize

future,

healthcare.

Artificial In

some

countries, it is already implemented and in use while many countries are still far from attaining that reality.

Effectively

implementing

Artificial

Intelligence

in

medicine, just as it is done in other disciplines, will go long

way

in

improving

healthcare

achieving universal health coverage.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Artificial

system to correctly interpret data which include signs,

a

11

Intelligence,

Intelligence in medicine characterizes the ability of a

such The concept of Universal Health Coverage is one that

phase

delivery

and

Achieving Universal Health Coverage Through Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can improve universal health

With

coverage by enabling remote diagnosis of patients in

amounts

rural areas. Certain patients cannot make their way

discovered and certain health needs and problems

to the clinics due to distance or disability; hence, the

specific to a particular population can be deduced.

use of telemedicine facilitated with AI will greatly

This

improve

health

the

treatment

accuracy

plans

guidelines

based

without

of

diagnosis

on

records

the

and

and

physical

provide

treatment

presence

of

the

collation of

will

of

data,

help

drug-drug

health

needs

patient's

records

interactions

professionals

tailored

to

and

that

large

can

be

provide

specific

region,

deduce

appropriate treatment and assist in the formulation of policies for improving public health

healthcare professionals, solving the problem of the inadequate workforce in such areas. It is already in

Another way AI can be used to attain Universal health

use

coverage is by improving diagnosis at health centers.

at

the

Oregon

Health

&

Science

University's

Knight Cancer Institute where it is used to predict the

The

effective cancer treatment option for patients.

effectively

increased

accuracy

predicting

the

of

this

cause

of

technology symptoms

in and

signs for a particular condition will help reduce the Moreover,

Artificial

Intelligence

can

contribute

to

cost of care, reduce mortality due to misdiagnosis,

universal health coverage by providing patients with

identify

necessary health information particularly patients on

become

long-term

centers

therapy.

Diseases

such

as

Diabetes,

certain

disorders

malignant, and

and

reduce

pharmacies

tumors

before

crowding

with

the

use

they

at

health

of

robots,

Hypertension, and Heart failure are some of the major

reduce waiting time and overall improve healthcare

causes of death around the world. They are at high

delivery.

risk in certain populations and the incidence is lower in

some

nature

other

of

populations

their

diet

and

depending general

on

genetics,

lifestyle

of

the

The

future

embrace

it

of or

healthcare be

behind.

Attaining

and

drug

therapy

increase

the

of

their

conditions.

adherence

of

It

will

patients

and

pharmacists-in-training,

principal

Universal

on

management

the

either

Artificial Intelligence in medicine and as pharmacists

non-drug

of

can

health

proper

one

We

help alert individuals at high risk or individuals already on

is

here!

people. The use of AI particularly in mobile apps will

therapy

coverage

left

is

goals

understanding

of

and

also

help

embracing Artificial Intelligence is key to remaining

to

their

relevant in the Phuture of healthcare.

medications.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

12

Exciting Times for Pharmaceutical Management

Exciting Times for Pharmaceutical Management

By Punit Solanki - Pharmacist, Group RP - Quality, Phiillips Pharma Group

E: punitsolanki.pharm@gmail.com

How many times have you sat down with some data and made some analysis in school or at work, during your research? Or during a sales or project presentation? What if there was a way that your data could automatically be analyzed and requested for your opinion and decision? Amazing, right? Well, we are not far from those days as globally, we are already in the age of Artificial Intelligence, with many of the multinational organizations that have already integrated it into their IT infrastructure.

Human brains have the capacity to critically think and make decisions, yet we depend on human error and bias prone manual analysis in almost any industry that we can think of.

I love artificial intelligence, not that I have used it extensively, but just the thought of the possibilities of the application of AI in our pharmacy field excites me. I always wonder, if I was given an opportunity as a speaker on a related forum, of where would I start and end, since there are countless instances where AI can spearhead our pharmaceutical sector.

13

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Exciting Times for Pharmaceutical Management

I

will

focus

on

engagement

the

since

pharmaceutical

that

is

my

area

supply

of

chain

expertise.

I

currently head quality matters for one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors in sub-Saharan Africa by a

common

have

a

name

growing

of

Phillips

presence

Pharmaceuticals,

in

more

than

6

who

African

countries as of date. My job is to ensure the quality of the medicines is of the highest required standard as is the quality of the business operations in all the countries that we represent.

I am sure you may have heard reactive quality that most of the organizations now utilize. For those not familiar, it is reacting to a problem and finding a preventive solution. For example; if your cold chain medicine

supply

was

not

transported

in

the

right

cold chain supplies. That right there is a hallmark of predictive quality.

conditions, you need to critically look at what went wrong and propose a solution that will prevent such an occurrence in the future. It could be that the staff wasn’t trained properly, so you suggest extra training for the staff, or it could be that the gel packs used for transport were not conditioned properly and in this case, you need to enforce the good packaging

Imagine how efficient businesses would be, how safe our

patients

making

would

would

be,

be

if

how

effective

data

analysis

our

decision

and

internal

connections were handled by AI, where our job as humans would be to make decisions based on the outcomes of the AI. There are countless number of ways we can integrate AI into the pharmaceutical

techniques.

supply chain.

But why wait for this to happen? Is there a possibility that you could prevent the problem from happening in the first place? We are moving towards preventive or so-called predictive quality in our organizations.

This

would

require

the

transport

data

being

monitored for all cold chain supplies regularly even if there has not been any problem or complaint. How would this be incorporated? This is where artificial intelligence

comes

in.

You

could

assign

the

same

duty to human staff but this would introduce human risk and intention bias on the results; the results of

Imagine this, in the public medicine supplies by the National Medical Stores, stock utilization data from the

district

hospitals

and

would

regional

medical

automatically

prompt

centers the

and

national

stores' procurement department to order a certain amount from certain supplier through a certain route, where the human would only be required to provide approval

since

information, with

the

the

AI

would

understands

supplier,

has

the

know

previous

already

the

supplier

experiences

calculated

on

the

prospective basis the amount of medicine needed

which are used to make critical decisions.

and understands the lead times from experience. It So putting things into perspective, you would want your AI engine to monitor temperature data for all your cold chain supplies, and alert you on any chance of a predictive problem, example: it could monitor and

analyze

all

available

data,

and

give

you

an

intimation that maybe you are experiencing slightly higher temperatures than the last year, coupled with the information AI retrieved from the human resource software, that there has been a new staff on the ground

for

cold

chain

which

could

be

a

probable cause of the this so check on that before

would even prompt the procurement of any donation or liquidations that can be arranged in advance from the history of stock positions in the Medical Stores. I understand the layperson would not understand or ever come face to face with the AI machine, but they would definitely see that their medicines are being stocked efficiently at public hospitals and medicine counters, which in turn will improve their medicine compliance and play a major role in the achievement of universal health for all agenda for the sustainable development goals 2030.

we reach out of specification temperatures for our IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

14

Artificial Intelligence in R & D of New Medicine

15

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Artificial Intelligence in R & D of New Medicine

Artificial Intelligence in R & D of New Medicine

By Nayituriki Thierry - RPSA, Rwanda

E: nayiturikithierry@gmail.com

Drug

discovery

and

drug

development

is

a

very

Nowadays,

world-leading

biopharmaceutical

lengthy process that takes between 10 to 15 years. It

biotechnology

is one of the processes where you get more failures

significant

than success. It takes more than 2.6 billion US dollars

companies to implement AI use in drug discovery. For

to develop a new drug and bring it to the market to

instance, Pfizer is using IBM Watson, to improve its

address specific types of unmet patient needs and

search for immune-oncology drugs. Sanofi has signed

that is after the molecule has passed different tests

a

including animals. There is a 92% failure rate when it

intelligence

goes into humans after the molecule has been tested

disease therapies and, Novartis is using an AI system

in animals and therefore, this makes the process not

from Microsoft company in its AI innovation lab to

only lengthy but also risky.

empower

deal

companies

deals

to

use

with

UK

(AI)

begun

to

sign

Artificial-Intelligence

Start-up

platform

and

transformative

have

and

Exscientia’s

to

hunt

accelerate medicines

for

(AI)

artificialmetabolic

discoveries

for

patients.

of Most

Furthermore, human biology is a very complex aspect

advanced biopharmaceutical companies have similar

during

collaborations.

drug

development

because

even

after

sequencing the entire human genome, only a small fraction of human biology is understood. There are

This cutting-edge AI system is inevitable since it is

more than forty trillions of cells in the human body

showing promising imperative inputs in drug discovery

and above one trillion molecules in each cell. This

including

complexity is astonishing. All these challenges that

compound

are

reproducibility which results in quicker, cheaper and

encountered

Development

(R

during

&

D)

biopharmaceutical finding

new

of

the

a

new

industries

ways

to

address

Research drug

think

have

and made

differently

those

problems.

but

not

testing

limited and

to;

acceleration

improved

accuracy

of and

most-effective drug discovery.

in The

AI

in

drug

discovery

is

becoming

increasingly

unprecedented approach of using AI in reimagining

important since it is solving those diseases with unmet

R&D of new drugs was the solution.

needs. For instance, untold opportunities lie in the treatment development for those patients with rare

Recent

advances

in

artificial

intelligence

(AI)

may

diseases.

However,

drug

will

researchers

Machine

and

applies some automation (Robots). It is in this regard

identifying

they need to be familiar with AI and acquire some set

drug

targets,

libraries,

in

help

several

finding

providing

drug

ways

good

discovery

including; molecules

suggestions

of

from

data

those

discovery

improve pharmaceutical R&D of a new drug. AI and

including

to

in

bring

learning

challenges

AI

help in changing the narrative and accelerate and

development

also

using

pharmacists

early-career

since

AI

system

of skills to meet tomorrow’s job market.

chemical

modification, clinical trials and so on.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

16

The Merge Between Infotech and Biotech

The

Merge

Between

Infotech

and

Biotech: A Call to Revise Pharmacy Education

By Castory Munishi - TAPSA, Tanzania

E: castorymunishi@outlook.com

We start the second decade of the 21st century, living in the fourth industrial revolution whose  one of the cardinal features is the merge between information technology and biotechnology. The thin line that once separated these technologies blurs as they move towards a convergence. Both technologies are growing at a very rapid rate, nothing like any of the previous industrial revolutions, all of which had a huge impact on the development and nature of work of the human society. So this begs the question: how will these rapidly growing 4th industrial revolution technologies affect how we work? Specifically, for pharmacists? Is the current education preparing us to remain relevant in the coming years?

17

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

The Merge Between Infotech and Biotech

Information technology is the use of computers to

People frequently google their medications and side

store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data which

effects

current

information is easily and readily available now more

rapidly

developing

areas

like

artificial

as

well

making.

these

remain relevant at the time when a person can send

technologies are growing and disrupting every sector

their e-prescription via their mobile phone to get the

including healthcare of which pharmacists are one of

packaged

the

important

with the instructions on usage being well described

question as to whether the skills that we learn today

through their mobile phone applications via a virtual

in our pharmacy schools will remain relevant in the

assistant like google assistant that provides the latest

next

key

stakeholders.

20

years

This

rapidly

generates

considering

that

an

the

medications

via

an

this

the

pharmacists? What should we do for our services to

how

does

as

than

witnessed

What

interactions,

reality to name but a few, use the results in decision have

before.

drug

intelligence, machine learning, big data, and virtual

We

ever

as

mean

ATM-like

for

pharmacy

digital

information from recent publications concerning the

technologies rapidly penetrating into the healthcare

medication? What will be our role then? Are we well

are not an integral part of our current training.

prepared for that?

Take an example, if you want to automate pharmacy

Technology is a tool as was the hoe in the agricultural

services

revolution where people learned to use it well enough

who

is

in

a

better

position

to

do

so?

A

pharmacist who can write code and works well with

to

massively

pro-coders or a pharmacist who knows nothing about

society

coding and instructs coders on what the automated

our skills, we cannot master the use of this tool well

pharmacy should be like?

enough to improve our services and catch up with the rest

produce

forever.

of

the

As

that

pharmacists,

world.

With

without

skills

upgrading

comes

transformations

years Human Genome Project in 2003 that mapped

development,

the genes in the human genome which is estimated

shown to have a huge potential in speeding up the

to have over 3 billion base pairs, leading to the rapid

drug discovery from 10 – 12 years by a factor of 15

growth of fields like genomics, pharmacogenomics,

which could reduce cost and save time. For example,

proteomics, metabolomics and all the other ‘-omics’.

in

These technologies generate huge amounts of data

had been well equipped with digital skills, probably

on

we could have been in a position to come up with a

which

information

proper

analysis

technologies

requires

like

big

the

data

use

of

analytics,

in

areas

like

artificial

COVID-19

drug

by

an

rapid rate and catalyzed by the completion of the 13

as

relevant

human

opportunity

current

stay

new

changed

On the other arm, biotechnology is growing at quite a

the

to

food

discovery

intelligence

pandemic,

making

if

has

and been

pharmacists

COVID cure and vaccine fast enough.

machine learning, and deep learning. This is where these technologies merge and together, they have

Times are changing and we are required to change

the potential to revolutionize the health sector and

with it to remain relevant and protect our profession.

particularly

An advantage of the current era is that we do not

fulfilling

the

promise

of

personalized

medicine.

need to wait for a syllabus review to upgrade our skills. All that is required is know is the skill you would

These technologies are already in action. Companies

like

like Cytosolve use computers for the drug discovery

assistance from learning websites and applications

and

development

and

start

learning

them

with

insilico

like Harvardx, Edx, Linkedin Learning, Udemy, iLearn among many others. Take action today, the future is

intelligence

already here. You will need a complex set of skills in

drug

through

upgrade

mechanistic modeling. Insilico Medicine uses artificial for

process

to

discovery,

development, and aging research.

biomarker

order to remain relevant.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

18

AI in Reducing Pharma's Carbon Footprint

AI in Reducing Pharma's Carbon Footprint

By Esther Kisanga - Editor, IPSF AfRO Bloggers Group 2019-20

E: editorial.afrobloggers@gmail.com

Climate change has brought an array of health challenges. Such challenges include respiratory illnesses, a surge in the transmission of vector and waterborne diseases, and allergies. According to WHO, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050; 38 000 due to heat exposure in elderly people, 48 000 due to diarrhea, 60 000 due to malaria, and 95 000 due to childhood under nutrition.

These challenges have provided the pharmaceutical industry with an opportunity to develop drugs directed towards tackling emerging diseases and the disease pattern shift. However, the industry’s current practice in production, storage, and transport still heavily relies on fossil fuel energy. The pharmaceutical industry is significantly more emission-intensive than the automotive industry, producing about 52 megatons of carbon dioxide in 2015, which is 6 megatons more than the carbon dioxide generated by the automotive sector in the same year. These emissions comprise of carbon dioxide arising from fossil fuel combustion used to produce electricity, methane and nitrous oxide from agricultural processes, hydrofluorocarbons, and other man-made halocarbons. Without reducing its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to arrive at a carbon-neutral state, the industry remains culprit in the very problem it is trying to solve.

19

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

AI in Reducing Pharma's Carbon Footprint

Countries and pharmaceutical industries have been

AI

quick

equipment used in the factory where a twin digital

to

understand

the

overall

effects

of

climate

can

facilitate

net-zero

have

assistance

GHG

unwanted scenarios such as leaks and breakdowns as

created

policies

such

as

Governments

carbon

tax

and

emissions trading. Industries are adopting alternative

well

low

conducting

carbon

sources

hydropower expand

as

well

energy

achieved

a

of

energy

as

investing

efficiency.

carbon

such

neutral

as

in

and

research

Biogen state

solar

has

while

to

as

of

AI

in

use

systems

virtually

test

them

to

out

which

is

created

identify

new

with

of

model

emissions.

equipment

maintenance

change and have taken initiatives towards achieving carbon

of

predictive

and

prevent

processes

accumulatively

the

before

increases

energy efficiency.

already

others

like

The drug discovery and development process can be

Novartis and GSK continue to work towards that goal.

made

However,

supervised learning and thermal imaging systems to

as

emissions

continue

to

increase,

more

innovation and collective efforts are required.

energy-efficient

through

the

use

of

AI

identify catalysts and chemical reactions that reduce carbon emissions from these chemical processes as

In

the

age

of

Artificial

Intelligence

Learning

(ML)

and

research

and

development

industry

is

being

related

(AI),

emerging the

technologies,

pharmaceutical

energy-efficient by analysis of already available data and optimization of routes. Emissions can be reduced

lead compounds and suitable drug targets. But amid

by the use of electro fuels, solar fuels, hydrogen or

the climate crisis, we now seek to know how these

biofuels which are developed with the assistance of

technologies can be directed towards achieving net-

ML techniques.

analysis,

quick

immensely

With the help of AI and ML, transport can be made

of

data

forward

well as the energy consumed in production.

by

accelerating

pushed

in

Machine

identification

zero carbon emissions in the industry.

The

application

A report from PwC and Microsoft shows that using AI

cultivation

of

could reduce

reductions

in

worldwide

GHG

emissions

by

4%

in

of

agricultural

pharmaceutical GHG

emissions

robotics

crops as

in

can

they

the

achieve

reduce

fuel

2030, with AI applications in energy estimated to cut

usage. AI tools can be used to plan land-use which

down emissions up to 2.2% and those in transport

reduces fossil emissions as the tools optimize the use

reducing emissions up to 1.7%.

of,

and

helps

forests.

protect,

These

natural

applications

resources

such

minimize

as

effects

The overproduction of pharmaceutical products, as a

associated with the overuse of water and fertilizers

result

(a source of nitrous oxide emissions). RIPPA, a robot

of

the

misestimating

of

demand,

is

a

major

source of emissions as energy is consumed for the

designed

production

acres

and

storage

of

excess

products

in

specifically

per

day

for

agriculture,

performing

can

mechanical

cover

5

weeding,

temperature-controlled environments. Production can

targeted pesticide application and vacuuming all the

be

while

optimized

intelligently

with

AI

predicting

identifying

low-carbon

production

of

drugs

to

reduce

supply

and

products

and

their

emissions demand

suited

precursors.

by and

for

the

AI

can

collecting

datasets

for

improvement

of

the

system.

The

role

of

AI

and

complementary

technologies

is

reduce overall electricity consumption by improving

increasingly being seen as critical to decarbonize the

the efficiency of factories’ heating, ventilation, and

pharmaceutical industry and tackle climate change.

air conditioning systems through techniques such as

In order for AI to yield better results, collaboration

image recognition, and time delay neural networks,

between players in the industry will help to broaden

as well as redesigning industrial processes to run on

and deepen AI as a solution to reducing the industry’s

low carbon power instead of fossil fuels.

carbon footprint. By sharing of already available and massive

datasets

that

are

owned

individually

by

companies on various production methods, transport routes,

and

energy

sources,

AI

can

reach

its

full

potential in saving the planet.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

20

Effective Healthcare Through AI Induced Transformation

Effective Healthcare

AI Induced Transformation

By Hope Mashavakure - IPSF AfRO Blogger 2019-20

E: hmashavakure@gmail.com

The intervention of computers in pharmacy practice has eradicated, problems.

significantly,

Artificial

data

Intelligence

and

number

uses

related

algorithms

and

software to approximate human cognition in the analysis of complex medical data. The use of computer systems in pharmacy practice, which started around 1980, has played a very big role in data and information storage management such as patient medical history and the stock of medicines. The pharmacy profession has been made

more

effective

and

more

efficient

due

to

simplified health care measures.

Artificial Intelligence refers to the art and science of developing computer and related systems so that they can do tasks normally requiring human intelligence such as visual perception and decision making. The future of Artificial Intelligence is very bright as far as Pharmacy practice is concerned.

Artificial Intelligence can influence and shift the focus of many pharmacists from dispensing towards providing a

wider

range

of

patient

care

services.

This

is

an

opportunity for pharmacists to collaborate across various ways for attending to the same patient. The application of AI in pharmacy practice will improve the workflow efficiency

and

lower

the

operating

costs

whilst

promoting the accuracy in various pharmacy settings.

21

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Effective Healthcare through AI Induced Transformation

Artificial Intelligence can also be applied in clinical and hospital pharmacy sectors as it reduces the errors encountered during drug therapy outcomes. AI is used in clinical pharmacy to predict the treatment outcomes and risks, for example, predicting and preventing an opioid overdose by using the patient’s electronic medication history.

AI

can

use

algorithms

to

estimate

the

overdose

risk

result

thereby

predicting

the

potential

risk

of

unintentional overdose from an opioid prescription. AI also plays a very important role in delivering personalized health care to patients and also personalized communication through emailed systems.

Artificial

Intelligence

has

been

applied

in

many

sectors

of

pharmacy including the pharmaceutical industry. AI is applied in research work to find new active pharmaceutical ingredients and the development of already existing medicinal regimens due to a variety of data set that is involved in drug design. Some companies now already possess software of great importance as they can predict treatment outcomes. Some supercomputers are being used in

pharmaceutical

industries

by

researchers

to

track

the

development of drugs and the systems can calculate and model solutions in a much faster and better way.

The potential of Artificial Intelligence to impact the drug discovery process is very high. In the earlier process of drug discovery, there is

a

lot

of

initial

screening

of

the

active

pharmaceutical

ingredients, to predict the success rate of the drug.

Artificial

Intelligence

may

also

play

a

vital

role

in

drug

target

identification

and

validation,

target-based,

phenotypic, and multi-target drug discoveries, drug repurposing, and biomarker identification.

The implementation of Artificial Intelligence for drug trials could reduce the time it takes for a drug to get approval and reach the market, consequently reducing the overall cost. AI may serve a lot of purposes in the pharmaceutical industry such as conducting repetitive tasks such as data entry & lab test analysis, thereby clearing up time to focus on more urgent or complex tasks and to interact with patients.

Artificial

Intelligence

has

great

potential

to

influence

the

pharmacy sector. The use of drones to deliver medicines is one of the safest and fastest ways to supply medicines during disease outbreaks. For example, in China, the Terra Drone is being

used

with

some

aerial

vehicles

to

transport

medical

samples between Xinchang Country’s Disease Control Centre and

the

People`s

Hospital

during

the

ongoing

COVID-19

pandemic. The application and future of Artificial Intelligence and data science have been very critical in helping countries to effectively deal with outbreaks.

In

conclusion,

Pharmacists

who

fail

to

appreciate

Artificial

Intelligence are more likely to develop a radical attitude to its implementation

as

they

might

see

it

as

a

threat

to

their

employment. The only good is the knowledge and the bad is ignorance.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

22

Engaging in Personal Branding: Social Media as a Pharmacy Student

Engaging in Personal Branding

Good Use of Social Media as a Pharmacy Student

By Melody Okerere - IPSF AfRO Blogger 2019-20

E: melokereke30@gmail.com

Have you ever tried to search your name on Google to see what the world knows about you? When you Google yourself, what pops up? Are you happy or discouraged with the results? These results are the first impression people will have of you. Is it a good one? Is the information you are sharing across your social media sites consistent with your career objectives or personal goals as a future healthcare provider? When you begin to apply for scholarships, jobs, or other professional opportunities, chances are scholarship review committees or recruiters are going to Google you to learn more about who you really are. This will affect the outcome of your application. The question is, do you want to allow your social media to damage your future or career opportunities?

With the proliferation of social media and the gig economy, it has become essential for pharmacy students to embrace personal branding.

23

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Engaging in Personal Branding: Social Media as a Pharmacy Student

Why is Personal Branding and Good Use of Social Media Necessary?

Jeff

Bezos,

the

founder

of

Amazon,

is

famously

quoted as saying, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” The term “branding” used to be reserved for businesses, but with

the

advent

economy,

of

social

personal

fundamental.

A

sites

branding

personal

and

the

has

brand

is

gig

become a

unique

combination of skills and experiences that make you

However, it can be difficult to craft a professional digital brand while simultaneously using social media for personal pleasure or fulfillment. In as much as some pharmacy students use social media for trends, personal pleasure or fun, tweeting or sharing stuff that promotes patient well-being, and advocating for high standards of patient care can help shape one’s brand. As pharmacy students, we will all spend our careers in an increasingly digital world. We should capitalize

on

the

opportunity

that

social

media

provides.

who you are. It is how you present yourself to the world. Effective personal branding will differentiate you from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers. According to a 2018 Career Builder survey, 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and 43% of employers use social media to check

on

current

employees.

study

of

pharmacy

Results

residency

from

program

a

2010

directors

revealed that among residency directors who viewed social

media

profiles

of

applicants,

48%

said

the

content affected, either positive or negative, on the

While

having

developing

a

a

good

online

personal

presence

brand

is

doesn’t

great, happen

overnight. We all need to start from somewhere; it’s not rocket science or pharmacology. It’s easy! You do not need to be a celebrity to have a personal brand.

It’s just a matter of continually crafting and curating your

digital

transparency,

presence; and

be

real!

authenticity

Your are

honesty,

what

will

differentiate you from your peers in the long-run. You never get a second chance to make a first impression —make it one that will set you apart, build trust, and reflect who

applicant’s selection.

you really are.

Early this year, I applied for a research internship at the

International

Pharmaceutical

Federation

(FIP),

and through my Google and LinkedIn search alerts, I discovered that my name was searched on Google mostly from The Hague, Netherlands (this is where the headquarters

of

the

International

Pharmaceutical

Federation is situated). I was pretty sure that I had given off a good online reputation as I had a good social media presence; I got the internship. This is an ingredient of personal branding. When social media is part of the hiring equation, it can become a deciding factor for the benefit of candidates with a strong digital brand.

Approximately 74% of adults who use the Internet use social media sites, leaving more than a quarter who have not yet established a social media presence.

However, among

social

media

pharmacy

population,

a

either

use

don’t

use

appears

students

significant social

than

percentage

media

or

to

be

higher

the

general

of

students

consider

deleting

Whether you know it or not, as a pharmacy student, you have a personal brand.

their online presence as a result of potential negative consequences.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

24

iRobot

iRobot

By Babatunde Yusuf Olalekan - PANS, Nigeria

E: yusufbabs916@gmail.com

Artificial intelligence!

A daring new frontier Establishing human like behaviors Doing us all a special favor

Who wouldn’t want a virtual medical assistant?

To help narrow down the cause of an ailment Also giving adequate care being a provident And backing it up with a written statement

An iRobot!

Made to solve the world’s complexities Talk about individualizing health care Mangling methodology through tangled technicalities

A colossal number of casualties Due to the global outrage of maladies Creating a new era for change To turn our dreams into realities 25

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Regional Working Group: The Superheroes

Regional Working Group 2019-20

Purity Wambui

Othniel Nimbabazi

Chairperson

Immediate Past Chairperson

E: chairperson@afro.ipsf,org

E: onimbabazi@gmail.com

Nzeribe Emmanuella

Iyke Udenze

Elton V. F. Decker

Regional Relations Officer

Secretary

Regional Media and Publications Officer

E: rro@afro.ipsf.org

E: secretary@afro.ipsf.org

E: rmpo@afro.ipsf.org

Lilian Muthoni

Malatji Thabang Owen

Regional Projects Officer

Chairperson, 9th IPSF AfPS Reception Committee

E: rpo@afro.ipsf.org

E: afps@afro.ipsf.org IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

26

Interprofessional Teamwork in Healthcare

Interprofessional Teamwork in Healthcare

By Nzeribe Emmanuella - IPSF AfRO Regional Relations Officer 2019-20

E:rro@afro.ipsf.org

In a successful team, everyone is relied on to successfully execute his or her very unique role. For instance, in the game of Soccer, there are the midfielders, the defenders, the strikers. If the team was made up of just the goal scorers, the other aspect of the game will be ignored and the team will be weak. Teams in healthcare consist of the pharmacists, the physicians, the lab scientists, the nurses, the nutritionists, the physiotherapists, and the medical psychologists with each expert adding a specific value and creating a collective synergy to make sure the patient’s needs are met. Not forgetting that there can be an ‘overlap’ in the performing of roles which is why a defender can strike when the need arises.

One key strategy for healthcare reform in our world is Improved Healthcare Collaboration. Without any pint of doubt; collaboration in healthcare has been shown to improve patient outcomes such as ensuring rational use of medicines, optimizing medication dosages, reducing both morbidity and mortality rates.

27

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

Interprofessional Teamwork in Healthcare

More so this shift is becoming evident in education around the world; where there is the incorporation of interprofessional based learning activities, and events collaboration at the student level are all ongoing.

Teams offer the potential to achieve more than any person could achieve working alone; yet particularly in teams that span professional boundaries. Interprofessional team-based care has been demonstrated to improve the quality of care and outcomes of patients with chronic illnesses. Teamwork may also reduce costs and improve care coordination for primary healthcare organizations and enhance job satisfaction among health professionals.

Among the workers, there is work satisfaction as well as improved communication.

However,

there

may

be

challenges

which

I

believe

should

be

surmountable

such

as

lack

of

training

on

interprofessional collaboration, unequal participation in decision making, overlapping roles. Amidst all of these, we all understand that the patient’s health is the most paramount and here, the benefits of collaboration outweigh the low health outcome of the patient. In order for the interprofessional team to work effectively, there is a need to address both the structure and the process of the team at several levels. The patient‘s health comes first.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

28

COVID-19: People Are Good

People Are Good

By Laila Kasumba - IPSF AfRO RMPO Subcommittee 2019-20

E: lailakasumba9@gmail.com

On the 19th of December, 2019, China reported its first case of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019). Since then, the disease has spread rapidly across the globe. Four months later, there are approximately 2,500,000 infected persons, with over 150,000 having succumbed to the disease.

Despite the dire situation, there have been many instances of people coming together to do what they can to help and support their fellow man. The pandemic has, in more ways than one, brought together different people from different walks of life. We all need love, support and encouragement at this time; we must provide the same for each other.

The government of Kenya, towards the end of March, announced a deficit in the number of ventilators available for the management of COVID-19 patients. In response, a group of students from Kenyatta University got together and worked tirelessly to make a ventilator prototype. The group of sixteen comprised of students from the Schools of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Engineering. With the support of the university and their lecturers, they were able to unveil their prototype made from locally sourced materials on the 11th of April. The students were confident that, following approval, it would be possible to manufacture fifty ventilators every week. This would put a large dent in the nation’s deficit.

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IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

COVID-19: People Are Good

In Virginia, USA, a 13-year-old boy by the name Charles Randolph

started

making

protective

masks

by

3-D

printing. He was motivated to do so upon realizing that some

individuals,

like

his

uncle

who

needs

a

heart

transplant, were at higher risk of Coronavirus infection.

He has been printing the masks and giving them out for free! Similarly, Rudra Nakade, a 15-year-old boy from the United Kingdom, has been 3-D printing protective visors.

He

has

been

donating

these

to

NHS

health

workers after learning that they had limited access to protective gear. Rudra has been receiving donations to help him scale up production.

Globally, people have been showing up to support the healthcare workers who have been at the forefront in the fight against Corona. In Madrid, for example, people stepped out onto their balconies to applaud doctors, pharmacists and nurses for their service. This happened on the 15th of March, during the lockdown. David Beckham, a renowned football player, along with other football stars, is participating in a #WeWillWin FIFA campaign to applaud the essential workers helping the fight against the pandemic.

As

the

Director-General

of

the

World

Health

Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus put it,

“We're

not

just

fighting

an

epidemic;

we’re

fighting an infodemic.” There has been a lot of negative news constantly being put out and taken in

the

last

four

months.

This

has

proven

to

be

overwhelming for many. In response, individuals are choosing to put out only positive news, such as

Some

Good

News

with

Jon

Krasinski

on

YouTube and goodnewsnetwork.org.

With most of us having never lived through such a crisis, many find their mental health at risk. Cases of anxiety and depression due to the pandemic are sure to rise. Thankfully, the number of online resources tailored to help us cater to our mental health

is

also

increasing.

From

webinars

on

mental health (such as those offered by IPSF AfRO to informative YouTube videos and forwarded WhatsApp messages; information on how to take care of ourselves mentally is within reach.

Each of us can add some positivity in our own way. This starts, first and foremost, by practising correct measures to keep ourselves and those around us healthy: washing our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; sanitizing our hands when we cannot wash them; coughing or sneezing into the elbow; ensuring we do not touch our faces and maintaining social distancing.

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

30

TAPSA Conducts Symposium on AI

TAPSA Conducts Symposium to Discuss AI in Solving Healthcare Challenges

By Esther Kisanga & Castory Munishi - TAPSA, Tanzania

Tanzania (TAPSA),

Pharmaceutical in

collaboration

Students with

Association

other

students’

challenges, and

a

panel

socializing. an

It

discussion,

was

option

shown that

and that

will

networking AI

can

augment

be

professional organizations in Tanzania, hosted its

considered

the

first-ever Students Symposium for Debate on April

current capacity to handle healthcare challenges

24th, 2019.

but it is not an absolute solution as it is still in its infancy.

The Symposium, hosted at Muhimbili University of Health

and

gathered

Allied

over

Sciences

400

in

students,

Dar-es-Salaam, experts,

and

The

symposium,

continue exchange

and

through

of

artificial

intelligence

in

an

facilitating

professionals interested in fundamental advances applications

now

of

ideas

emerging

discussions in

improving

technologies

to

and

the

healthcare innovations

with

pharmacists should start to prepare and adapt

presentations,

a

well-

structured debate on whether or not AI could be

these

the answer to solving Tanzania healthcare

positive impact.

new

healthcare

and

aims

and

addresses,

the

event,

healthcare. It featured a four-hour event, filled keynote

how

annual

technologies

stakeholders

that

they

like

create

Panelists of the Students Symposium for Debate along

Debate participants awarded by Infinix following an

with the President of Tanzania Pharmaceutical

active and very engaging debate session

Students Association (TAPSA), Castory Munishi (standing far right)

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IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

a

TAPSA Conducts Symposium on AI

Students from various universities listening to presentations on projects integrating AI in their innovations to improve healthcare in Tanzania

Following the symposium, a 24-hour hackathon was conducted from June 15th to 16th June 2019 to allow innovative students to develop AI-based solutions to selected healthcare challenges in Tanzania. Example of projects developed includes an AI-based diagnostic supportive system, an integrated health medical record that could learn from patient’s data, and a chatbot to assist individuals facing mental health challenges. The winning teams were allowed to pitch during the MUHAS Annual Scientific Conference where one team was announced the overall winner. Some of the other developed ideas applied for global competitions like the Hultz Prize and are currently undergoing further development.

Students undergoing training during the hackathon

A Team discussing product development

IPSF AfRO Newsletter 14

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