PHARMACY CARNIVAL 2025 PROMOTES MEDICATION AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

25 SEPTEMBER 2025, USM PENANG - Pharmacy Carnival 2025 was successfully held on 25 September 2025 at the Pusat Sejahtera, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), in conjunction with World Pharmacist Day 2025, themed “Think Health, Think Pharmacist.” The programme aimed to promote rational medicine use, preventive healthcare practices and greater public understanding of the role of pharmacists within the Malaysian healthcare system.

A series of health lectures was conducted as part of the programme. A talk entitled “Peranan Ahli Farmasi di Malaysia” was delivered by Puan Siti Munira binti Mohamad Saperi, Pharmacist Officer from the Barat Daya District Health Office. This was followed by two talks on ketum (Mitragyna speciosa) presented by Dr Juzaili Azizi and Dr Norsyifa Harun from the Centre for Drug Research (CDR) USM, which addressed the plant’s composition, traditional usage, potential benefits, and associated health risks based on current scientific evidence.

Visitors also had access to a variety of exhibition booths and healthcare services, including medication counselling, drug compounding demonstrations, poison prevention education, dental health services, vaccination services, and health screenings such as blood pressure, blood glucose and body weight measurements. The CDR USM, operated an exhibition booth focusing on addiction-related issues, providing evidence-based information on substance use disorders, drug dependence and prevention strategies. The booth served as a platform to improve public understanding of addiction as a complex health condition.

The Pharmacy Carnival 2025 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, by promoting access to health information, preventive care and responsible medication use. The addiction-focused educational activities further contribute to strengthening community awareness on substance abuse prevention and mental health, in line with national and global public health priorities.

JA