Slagjana Tentova-Peceva is a Hospital Pharmacist, Health Manager and head of the Hospital  Pharmacy at Clinic for the Diseases in Skopje, North Macedonia                                                                                                                                  

How did You become involved as implementation ambassador for North Macedonia?

I was proposed by the local Pharmaceutical Authorities based on my previous voluntary engagement and contributions on the meetings of the National Association of Hospital Pharmacy of North Macedonia. My activities and contribution also include filing written articles for quaternary edition of the journal of Hospital Pharmacy "Farmacevtski Informator", where in I strived to disclose and make the pharmacists (my colleagues) around the country, familiar with most recent skills and knowledge in the pharmaceutical practice.                                                   

 Why do You think that the Statements are Important to improve patients outcomes in North Macedonia?

 TheStatements reflect the "Standards" and they are the right way for improving the hospital pharmacy practice.  Implementation the Statements can help standardization for all Hospital Pharmacies in my country. In North Macedonia, National Association of Hospital Pharmacy have very big progress having Hospital Pharmacist in every Hospital Pharmacy.  With Implementation the Statements can improve patients outcomes by Team work including Hospital Pharmacist like very important professional for hospital treating and care of patients.  So Hospital Pharmacist can be including in project for using medicines under control, for healthy  generations, healthy children, clean environment and green Planet.

 Why do You think that is important that hospitals in North Macedonia their pharmacies using the self-assessment tools?

Using the Self-assessment tools can help a lots for better and more sophisticate work at Hospital Pharmacy.  The Self-Assessment Tools can help the Hospital Pharmacist to achieve better result and enhance the level of their operation. That will help to compare the success of Implementation between all Hospital Pharmacy in my country and also with Hospital Pharmacy in Europe where the Self-Assessment tools are alreadyavailable. 

 What are the biggest barriers to implementation in North Macedonia?

  The biggest barriers to the Implementation of the Statements in North Macedonia, include: 

-       aggravated  administrative procedures for organize the procurement of medicines, without enough criteria of the selection of medicines currently the price is the sole criteria. 

-       The bidders of non registered medicines have a lots of administrative problems for procedure by way of intervent import ( all Hospital and Clinics are organized procurement procedure separately, the quantity is so low and there are problems with import procedure, transport, customs formalities). 

-       The collaboration between Hospitals and the Clinics is poor notwithstanding they demand the same medical products.

-       Medicines we buy in our Hospitals are supplied with comercial packing, instead of big Hospitals packing consequently we are forced to buy expensive medicines.

-       Absence of Robotic System - we can not prepares unit or single dose for individual patients.

-       We do not work make dissolution of the Citostatic at Hospital Pharmacy and done manual by nurses at the Department instead.

-       The Hospital Pharmacy at the Clinic for the Pediatric Diseases is not equipped to make adjusted liquid formulations for children.