PSPV is pushing to expand pharmacy-based vaccination and make preventive care more accessible to Filipino communities.
MANILA, Philippines — As the pharmacy profession celebrated World Pharmacists Day 2026 last September 25, the Philippine Society of Pharmacist Vaccinators (PSPV) is calling for greater support to expand pharmacists’ role in immunization and strengthen their contribution to preventive healthcare in Filipino communities.
“Pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals in communities, and people often turn to their local pharmacy for their everyday health needs. This puts pharmacists in a unique strategic position to not only provide medicines, but also help patients understand the importance of prevention, recommend appropriate vaccines, and, when properly trained and certified, administer them,” said PSPV President Dr. Hazel Docuyanan.
This year’s World Pharmacists Day theme, “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures,” reflects the profession’s evolving contribution beyond dispensing medicines. For PSPV, immunizing pharmacists demonstrate how pharmacists can contribute more actively to preventive healthcare and help protect communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.
PSPV is advancing this through pharmacy-based immunization and the Certification Program for Immunizing Pharmacists (CPIP), which provides a structured pathway for the training, competency validation, and certification of qualified pharmacists to administer adult vaccines in accordance with applicable professional and regulatory requirements.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Pharmacy, through Resolution No. 65, s. 2025, recognized PSPV as the Competency Development Group (CDG) for the CPIP. Under the framework, PSPV is responsible for competency validation for certification, Supplemental Vaccine Training (SVT) for additional adult vaccines, and maintaining the master database of certified immunizing pharmacists and trainers.
“We already have more than 1,400 certified immunizing pharmacists, with around 5 institutions working toward accreditation as training providers. Building on this foundation will allow us to expand the capacity of pharmacists to contribute to immunization and bring these services closer to more communities,” Docuyanan said.
This growing ecosystem is also broadening the scope of pharmacy-based immunization through Supplemental Vaccine Training (SVT), allowing qualified certified immunizing pharmacists to develop competencies to administer a wider range of vaccines, subject to applicable training and regulatory requirements.
PSPV is also working with local governments to integrate immunizing pharmacists into community-based vaccination programs. Beyond vaccination, public-private partnerships, professional organizations, healthcare institutions, pharmacies, and other stakeholders can help strengthen community pharmacy services and support innovative models of care that make essential health services more accessible and equitable, especially in underserved communities.
To sustain and scale these efforts, PSPV is working with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Board of Pharmacy, Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Department of Health (DOH), together with other stakeholders, to strengthen the policy, competency, and practice framework for immunizing pharmacists, guided by clear standards, appropriate regulation, and quality training.
“Expanding pharmacists’ role in immunization requires more than increasing the number of trained vaccinators. We need continued support from government, professional organizations, training institutions, pharmacies and other healthcare partners to strengthen the system that allows these services to reach more communities,” she added.
Through these efforts, PSPV aims to further develop pharmacy-based immunization and strengthen pharmacists’ contribution to preventive healthcare, helping more Filipino communities gain access to vaccination and greater protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
