EDA Chairman: The Compulsory Internship Program for Pharmacy Graduates Supports the National Pharmaceutical Industry and Enhances Healthcare Efficiency

EDA Chairman: Over 11,000 Pharmacy Students Trained in 179 Facilities and Scientific Offices as part of the Internship Program

EDA Chairman: Launching an Annual Competition worth EGP 5 million to Support Pharmaceutical Researchers in Egypt and Link Scientific Research with Industry

The Egyptian Drug Authority celebrated today, Monday, the successful completion of the first year of the Pharmacy faculties Internship Program for the academic year 2024/2025. The ceremony was attended by all partners invited by the Authority, including universities, professional syndicates, local and international pharmaceutical companies, and scientific offices. Attendees included Prof. Dr. Mostafa Refaat, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Universities, Dr. Gamal El-Leithy, Chairman of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry, representatives of the Supreme Council of Universities' Pharmacy Sector Committee and the Higher Committee for Supervision of Training, and faculty members from the participating universities.

In his opening speech at the ceremony, Dr. Ali Al-Ghamrawy, Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority, affirmed that pharmaceutical education in Egypt has witnessed a qualitative leap since the implementation of the Pharm D program in the academic year 2019/2020, aligning with global developments in this field. He clarified that the main goal of this transformation is to enhance the quality of educational programs, develop graduates' skills and capabilities to meet labor market demands, support the development of the healthcare system, and contribute to the localization of the national pharmaceutical industry.

Al-Ghamrawy noted that this direction culminated in the issuance of Ministerial Decree No. 967 of 2023 regarding the Unified Regulation for the mandatory Training of Pharmacy faculties Graduates across the Republic. The decree stipulates the implementation of a training program comprising six courses—four essential and two electives—each lasting six weeks, to be completed after finishing academic hours and summer training.

The EDA Chairman clarified that the program aims to prepare pharmacists capable of practicing the profession according to the highest professional and ethical standards, and qualified to compete locally, regionally, and internationally. This is achieved by enhancing the link between universities and pharmaceutical workplaces through joint committees to supervise training and graduation projects, thereby enabling pharmaceutical and research institutions, medical centers, and pharmaceutical companies to be supplied with qualified personnel ready for employment immediately after graduation.

He added that the Authority played a key role in the execution, supervision, and preparation of several training courses related to its fields of competence. The most notable of these are the ""Manufacturing and Registration of Pharmaceutical Products"" course as one of the essential programs, and the ""Pharmacovigilance"" course as one of the elective programs, in addition to supervising training in factories, and in the fields of marketing and sales.

Dr. Al-Ghamrawy announced that the mandatory internship training program for pharmacy faculties, since its launch on October 6, 2024, has successfully trained over 11,000 pharmacists through intensive and diverse programs spanning 18 weeks, totaling 180 training hours. He noted that the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing course alone attracted approximately 5,107 students in 105 factories out of 179 pharmaceutical factories in Egypt, where participants received practical training in the production, quality control, and research and development departments. Additionally, 3,087 students joined the Marketing and Sales course through 46 scientific offices of pharmaceutical companies, while 7,581 students benefited from the ""Pharmacovigilance"" course via the ""Metresolt"" electronic platform, which utilized a blend of 60% theoretical lectures and 40% practical applications and interactive projects for training.

The EDA Chairman confirmed that the implementation of this national program is the result of close coordination with the Supreme Council of Universities and continuous efforts with success partners.

Al-Ghamrawy concluded his speech by emphasizing that this program has contributed to preparing a new generation of pharmacists who possess professional skills and the ability to assume responsibility in various pharmaceutical workplaces, thereby enhancing Egypt's competitiveness regionally and internationally and supporting the national pharmaceutical industry.

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Mostafa Refaat, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Universities, stressed the importance of pharmaceutical training and the Council's role in supporting the educational system to graduate pharmacists who are knowledgeable about all developments in the work environment and capable of keeping pace with modern technology. This accelerates the availability of human cadres that lead the development process, in line with the strategies adopted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which align with the vision of the Egyptian State.

During the ceremony, a vision was announced for the launch of an annual competition in cooperation with the Egyptian Drug Authority was announced, valued at EGP 5 million. The competition is aimed at pharmaceutical researchers and aims to support scientific innovation and link pharmaceutical research outcomes with labor market needs, within the framework of the partnership between the private pharmaceutical industry sector, the government sector, and scientific research to support education and scientific research. A specialized scientific committee will be responsible for evaluating the research and selecting the winning projects based on criteria of innovation and applicability.