WA Pharmacist wins prestigious award for efforts in WA’s COVID-19 response
Deputy Pharmacist Nabeelah Mukadam with other staff from KEMH Pharmacy
King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH) Deputy Pharmacist Nabeelah Mukadam was recently recognised for her contribution to the WA COVID-19 response.
Ms Mukadam won the WA Pharmacists Achievement Award 2022, which celebrates a hospital pharmacist who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.
As the COVID-19 Vaccination Pharmacy Lead in WA, Ms Mukadam played an important role in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine equitably across the most expansive health service area in the world.
Executive Director, Women and Newborn Health Service, Diane Barr said Ms Mukadam was pivotal in helping WA achieve one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
“Delivering a frozen vaccine with diluting and multi-dosing requirements was a challenge,” Ms Barr said.
“Nabeelah was quick to analyse the situation, came up with a strategy and executed a plan.”
“She recognised the role of pharmacies distributing the vaccine throughout WA and established a new role – the immunisation pharmacist within public health.”
Ms Mukadam said she was excited and humbled to receive the award.
“A tribute to the success of the program came from the high level of collaboration and engagement from the pharmacy profession and each hospital’s willingness to help and share resources in a time of great uncertainty,” she said.
“Establishing working relationships across WA hospitals and primary care to deliver the service was key aspect of the role and I have made very valuable networks across Pharmacy and health.”
“My experience with the Women and Newborn Health Service (WHHS) COVID clinic helped me with the logistics of distributing the vaccine across WA,” she said.
“It was a great opportunity to showcase what WA Health can achieve across the state.
“We developed immunisation clinics and valuable networks – it really is amazing what we achieved in such a short space of time.”
In WA, 83.5 per cent of people have had their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine1.
1 Health. 2022. “Vaccination Numbers and Statistics” (external site) Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. December 5, 2022.