Award Winning Military Pharmacist Advances His Clinical Pharmacy Skills via IMU’s Master in Pharmacy Practice

Captain Manvikram Singh Gill a military pharmacist, is serving in the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia. He was among the first batch of pharmacists to be provisionally trained in an Armed Forces institution before being commissioned into the Royal Medical and Dental Corps. He has combined his passion in pharmacy and his desire to serve for his country by being a military pharmacist. In February 2020, he was presented with the top professional pharmacist award in Southeast Asia by SwipeRx, the largest social network of pharmacists in Southeast Asia recently as a recognition of his contribution to the practice in the country. He is currently pursuing his Clinical Pharmacy specialisation in Master in Pharmacy Practice degree programme at the International Medical University, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Capt Manvikram, has always said that Pharmacy was his first choice to select, when it comes to his higher education studies. He was inspired by his late paternal grandfather, who was a radiographer in University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC); his mother and all other siblings who are nurses and still practicing, He spent most of his time while growing up at his mother’s working place and the environment at the dispensary made him curious on how medicines are dispensed and from where and how it comes from. The passion for military was the other side of him. Perhaps as he mentioned this is his ‘wild side’. He believes in serving the country with his passion in pharmacy and healthcare. He wanted to lead by an example, where loyalty, dependability and courage is practiced in every circumstances. Apart from his regular duties, Capt Manvikram is also actively involved with the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society, the Malaysia-Australia Defence Alumni Association, the Armed Forces Sikh Association and the United Nations Association of Malaysia’s youth chapter. At one point of his military pharmacist career, he thought that further education is a necessity in propelling his advancement and with the aim to serve the country as a leader and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference in pharmacy practice at Malaysia, he decided to join a Master in Pharmacy Practice programme at IMU. This is a programme which continues to support working pharmacists to address students’ educational and training needs as well as provide them with a great opportunity to expand skill sets in clinical pharmacy practice. Capt Manvikram is currently planning his research project, a component in the Master of Pharmacy Practice (MPP) programme which is focused on military pharmacy practice, especially in the management of non-communicable diseases. The research project will be supported by the MPP programme and funded by Institute for Research, Development and Innovation (IRDI), IMU. “An institution which focuses on quality is definitely my first choice. I have chosen to specialise in clinical pharmacy as I currently serve at a military hospital. I believe the basis of being a good pharmacist is depending on his clinical skills. Clinical knowledge is needed to make judgments at every level of medical related operations. The advanced clinical pharmacy practice skills I learned from this programme, has helped me to perform better in terms of assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing and evaluating pharmacy practice related issues which I come across in my practice”. The IMU Master in Pharmacy Practice programme is a great opportunity for working pharmacists to undertake formal continuing professional development, expand and develop their skill sets in clinical pharmacy practice and research. Capt Manvikram is utilising this opportunity from the MPP programme to gain an advantage that enables him to be a more effective practitioner, particularly in promoting the rational usage of medications.