Manager, Pharmacy

Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is committed to excellence in education, research and service. The University strives for quality, international standards and relevance in all of its programmes and selects its faculty, staff and students on the basis of merit, irrespective of gender, race, religion or domicile. AKU is a major component of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which consists of institutions that collaborate for development in response to social, economic and cultural challenges in specific regions of the developing world. 

The University's Faculty of Health Sciences was planned with the support of Harvard University, McGill University and McMaster University. It presently includes a Medical College and a School of Nursing, which are located together with their principal teaching site, Aga Khan University Hospital, in Karachi, Pakistan. In addition, in Karachi, the University has an Institute for Educational Development and a substantial Faculty of Arts and Sciences which is being developed on a new 1,100-acre campus.

As an international institution, the University has established academic programmes beyond Pakistan, through an Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in UK and programmes in Advanced Nursing Studies and Postgraduate Medical Education in countries in East Africa. AKU is currently planning a major expansion of its existing work in East Africa, in the fields of medical, nursing and teacher education.

In July 2005, AKU integrated into its academic and service activities, a teaching hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Established in 1958 and currently a 254-bed facility, the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi had been operating under the aegis of Aga Khan Health Service, Kenya. Renamed Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N), the new institution is AKU's principal Health Science teaching facility in East Africa. AKUH,N is focusing on high quality of care, research and postgraduate medical education in all major clinical specialties including medicine, surgery, radiology, pathology, anaesthesia, obstetrics-gynaecology and paediatrics.

AKUH,N is also continuing to play a vital role as a major teaching site for the Advanced Nursing Studies programme of AKU, which has provided continuing professional education for practicing nurses in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda since 2001. With this new development, AKU aims to strengthen existing partnerships with the ministries of health and other universities in the region offering health sciences education, with a view to share experiences, strengthen public sector delivery systems and collaborate on teaching and research.

AKUH,N, a premier teaching and tertiary care referral hospital, invites applications from Kenyan nationals for the position of Manager, Pharmacy.

This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer.

Responsibilities
The incumbent will coordinate the planning, directing and monitoring of all activities of the Department of Pharmacy Services. The incumbent will ensure adherence of overall departmental standards by coordinating the drugs dispensing process as per approved procedures, establishing objectives and planning for overall department profitability and productivity.

Key Responsibilities:

Ensure adherence of overall departmental standards

• Develop, implement and review policies and procedures in the Department;
• Prepare broad objectives and plans for the Department;
• Stimulate accomplishment of objectives;
• Discuss results of the Department’s performance with subordinates;
• Ensure adherence to appropriate environmental health and occupational safety measures and regulations;
• Establish a clinical pharmacy programme at AKUH,N;
• Maintain confidentiality.

Ensure accurate dispensing of drugs

• Coordinate the drugs dispensing process as per approved procedures;
• Liaise with clinicians on the appropriate administration of drugs;
• Liaise with users on pharmaceutical requirements of drugs;
• Disseminate updated information on products to the relevant users;
• Effectively control drugs under the “Dangerous Drugs Act”.

Effectively manage pharmacy functions

• Prepare timely and accurate departmental reports and distribute to the appropriate users;
• Ensure effective methods of stock control;
• Coordinate regular departmental and drug audits;
• Prepare stock requisitions according to established re-order levels;
• Be responsible for the procurement of quality drugs and for overseeing the management of the pharmacy store;
• Participate in Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee meetings;
• Participate in recruitment of pharmacy staff;
• Ensure rational use of pharmaceuticals in line with clinical governance and evidence-based medicine.

Requirements

• BSc Honours, Pharmacy (clinical pharmacists will be preferred);
• Diploma in Health Systems Management;
• Certificate and practicing license from Pharmacy and Poisons Board;
• Registered with Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya;
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in a large tertiary care hospital with state-of-the-art operating systems of pharmacy services.

To Apply
Applications together with detailed CVs, names of two referees with telephone numbers and email addresses, and copies of certificates and testimonials should be sent by August 22, 2008 to:

Manager, Recruitment
Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi
P.O. Box 30270 (00100), Nairobi, Kenya
Email: hr.recruitment@aku.edu

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.