By Carlena Knight
Young people with an interest in mathematics and science are being encouraged to consider a profession in pharmaceutical work.
Recipient of the CAP Pharmacist of the Year 2022, Alfred Athill, gave the encouragement while speaking to this newsroom days after it was announced that he had emerged the winner of the prestigious regional award.
Athill, who is also Director of Pharmaceutical Services in Antigua and Barbuda, was selected from among two nominees for his outstanding contribution to the Profession of Pharmacy and Caribbean Society.
The other nominee was Carlton Lanquedoc of Dominica.
Athill admitted that it is a tedious journey in acquiring the licence but once having graduated, it is a “rewarding profession” and one that he is encouraging persons to get involved in.
“The profession on an international scale is one of the most recognised, more so in the US and highly paid professions. So, it is something that I would most definitely encourage our young students to get involved in.
“Once they are attending school or even in the A Levels department at the Antigua State College (ASC), once you are heavily science and math based in your studies, then I would suggest and recommend that those persons gear their focus towards getting into the profession.
“It is a very noble profession. It is a very rewarding profession and you can go places,” he said.
The stalwart also spoke briefly about receiving the CAP award. He shared that although he was surprised by the news, it was not unexpected to receive the award due to the level of work relating to Covid-19 that he would have done in the past year.
“I know my other colleagues from across the Caribbean would have done quite a bit within the last year, particularly, as it relates to Covid litigation. The award comes right across the Caribbean, so there would have been a lot of contenders even though it was narrowed down to two, the work we would have done right across the Caribbean, particularly in the last year, in terms of Covid, I believe that my work would have been seen right across the region from the Bahamas right down south,” Athill explained.
The award was announced at the 42nd Conference for the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists in Guyana earlier this month.
Athill was congratulated by the Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph and other top health officials just this week for this “significant achievement”.
This is not the first award that Athill has received in relation to his work. In 2017, he was gifted the Regulatory Affairs award for high standard, excellent service and dedication.
When asked what was next for him, Athill said that the plan is just to continue to focus on ensuring the profession continues to grow.