Habeeb Olajide won the First Runner-up in the Essay Category of 2020 Contest. You can read his entry here. Enjoy.
PHARMACY HEROES: FAITH AND PHARMACY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic, is an ongoing pandemic caused by (SARS‑CoV‑2) The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January, and a pandemic on 11th of March.As of 22 May 2020, more than 5.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in more than 188 countries and territories, resulting in more than 333,000 deaths.. It has had a sweeping albeit largely negative effect on all aspects of human day to day engagements worldwide. It has driven economies into red zones, ravaging healthcare to a point where healthcare itself is crying for care and brought the entire world to it's knees as those not battling with the virus are grappling with it's effects.
FAITH IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
"Today I have completed your religion for you, and I have perfected My favor on you, and I am
satisfied with Islam as a religion for you"( Qur'an 5:3). Islam transcends the belief and practices of the five pillars of faith: it is a complete way of life as it weighs in on every matter from the weighty to the mundane.. The pandemic has predictably affected the practice of the religion but not in a way Islam hasn't catered for.The prophet (S.A.W) said in an hadith that "When you hear that a plague is in a land, do not enter it and if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place," in another narration, it was added that. "Do not place a sick patient with a healthy person," An advice.that has resonated with millions of people across the globe. . It has since gone viral as a billboard was erected in Chicago to advise locals on how to prevent the spread of the novel.virus using the age-long advice of the prophet. Congregational gatherings which was also banned banned by various governments has precluded Solat in congregation. Also, another aspects of faith that suffered from the pandemic is pilgrimage as earlier, umrah "the lessr pilgrimage" was cancelled But as these measures are to ensure people's safety, it is in tandem with the teachings of Islam as revealed in an hadith 'The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe.." (, Source: Sunan al-Nasā’ī 4995, ). So ensuring the safety of others thorough these is also part of what defines one as a Muslim.
Another striking alignment of Islamic teachings with the pandemic is the emphasis laid on cleanliness. As stated by the prophet, " cleanness is half of the Faith " ( Sahih Muslim) The recent Netflix docuseries “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak” illustrates how performing ablution “wudu,” may help spread a good hygiene message.The series focuses on Syra Madad,
a Muslim public health specialist in a New York hospital, who takes a break to say her prayers at
the Islamic Center of New York University. Before entering the mosque,, Madad stops to perform wudu. That the first step in ablution is washing of hands isn't serendipitous it is sheer design inspired by the Almighty: it teaches a basic lesson of washing of hands to.keep other parts safe.
PHARMACY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19: PHARMACISTS THE UNSUNG HERO
There is no gainsaying in the fact that pharmacy practice is an essential aspect in any healthcare system. The mainstay of therapy revolve around drugs which is a direct purview of pharmacists. The pharmacists skill sets embedded in the WHO concept of eight star pharmacist are needed now more than ever. The pharmacists are the closest member of the healthcare team to the community and usually the first port of call for patients. It is also noteworthy that in most countries, the virus is currently spreading at the community level. The onus therefore lies on pharmacists to leverage
this advantageous position to throw in part of their win-the-war effort from the community level
by giving information to the populace about measures and watching out for symptoms and
referring people for testing. As cure is being facilitated by physicians and other members of the healthcare team in the hospital, the pharmacists are also working from the community level to prevent cases from skyrocketing.
Also, Covid-19 which has since defied any known cure, has provided a fertile ground for drug
abuse many drugs have been touted as cure by nonprofessionals: a murderous move slavishly
followed by many who binged on chloroquine to shield themselves from the virus but came down from the toxic effects of the drugs due to overdosage leaving many hospitalized and few
dead. It therefore goes without saying that as we're battling the covid-19 pandemic, we have
another offshoot of pandemic proportion on our hands with equally devastating outcome as the
mother cause.. Pharmacists intervention with their repertoire of knowledge on drugs therefore
becomes important to ensure that patients are adequately counselled regarding drugs intake
this period. By so doing, pharmacists are stemming the possible surge of a big sequela of the pandemic.
Also, the world also waits on the profession to come up.with an effective cure for the virus like it
has done for other conditions in the past: a tall order but not an impossible one because if pharmacy has done it before, it definitely by the aid of the Almighty can do it again.
CONCLUSION: THE NEXUS
The conferment of the dual honour of being a Muslim and a pharmacist at this period comes
with joy and responsibilities the likes of which are embedded in the teachings of Islam and also
expectations from the profession both working to complement and reinforce each other. Upholding the teachings of Islam that already overlap with the guidelines comes with reward and also trying to keep people safe has it's rewards both now and in the hereafter. So the overall life of the Muslim pharmacist during the pandemic (and beyond) is indeed heroic and a complete blessing.
References
https:/amp/s/english.alaraby.co.uk/english/amp/indepth/2020/4/20/islams-prophet-muhammads-pandemic-advice-goes-viral-in-2020
https://quran.com/5/3
https://theconversation.com/amp/hajj-cancellation-wouldnt-be-the-first-plague-war-and-politics-disrupted-pilgrimages-long-before-coronavirus-135900
https://theconversation.com/amp/what-islamic-hygienic-practices-can-teach-when-coronavirus-is-spreading-133221
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