Makama Lodge Makeni City 12 February 2021. - The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone (PBSL) has completed its 2021 financial year’s Management Planning Retreat at Makeni City in the Northern Region of Sierra Leone.

It should be noted that the PBSL holds management Planning Retreat at the beginning of every year at any location within the country chosen by the management to review its achievements and challenges in the previous year and plan its activities for the year ahead.

In the meeting were representatives of Board Members of PBSL Heads of Departments senior staff members and Officers in Charge of the regional offices. In his welcome address the Acting Registrar of PBSL Dr. James Komeh highlighted that 2021 Management Planning Retreat was slated for the 28th -30th January 2021 but the second wave of Covid-19 warranted another set of restrictions which prevented it from happening he added that the ease of the restrictions was a blessing to the Agency because it would have been difficult to start another financial year without its usual planning.

“We are happy to be here on an administrative trip which I refer to as the backbone of our yearly activities. I refer to this Management Planning Retreat as a backbone to our activities because it gives us insight of what was achieved the previous year what was not achieved and what we plan to achieve this year.  In that regard I want all of us to do due diligence to all what is to be discussed ” he highlighted.

He welcomed the representatives of PBSL’s Board members and the Officers in Charge (OIC) of the regional offices  who made their maiden representation during the retreat and entreated them to feel free to make input into the discussions.

Dr. Komeh maintained that the culture of holding Management Planning Retreat has made PBSL to be one of the best if not the best Government Agency in Sierra Leone in terms of quality management system adding that the quality management system of PBSL had been tested and accepted internationally which is why it has maintained International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001’s Certification for two consecutive years.

Speaking on behalf of the Board Members of PBSL Dr. Eugene Conteh said they were happy to be a part of this year’s Planning Retreat and stressed the need for them to be always included into the same since they are the decision makers of PBSL.

Highlighting the summary of 2020 achievements made by the Agency the Head of Department of Policy Standard and Practice Department Dr. Sitta Kamara revealed that PBSL was able to achieve most of its planned activities amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges like the lack of road worthy vehicles.

He said licenses of new pharmaceutical premises were done training and examination of intern Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians registration of drugs calibration of the laboratory equipment closure of premises that failed to meet the standard procedures set out by the Agency and inspection of pharmaceutical premises among many others as enshrined in the Pharmacy and Drugs Act 2001.

“However there were activities that we failed to achieve due to the Covid-19 pandemic ranging from the annual Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections overseas training of staff of the Agency among others but we pray that the Pandemic comes to an end shortly so as to be able to achieve the outstanding activities for 2020 and those for the year under review he said.

The rest of the remaining days of the retreat were used by all Heads of Department to present their activity work plans for 2021 and the review of the departmental budgets. It was also used to review and finalize the draft legislation of PBSL in line with best practices.