Three seventh-semester Bachelor of Pharmacy students from the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), The Maldives National University (MNU), completed a three-week international industrial and clinical pharmacy externship in India from 15 April to 6 May 2024. The programme was delivered through a collaboration between MNU and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MAHE-MCOPS).
The externship provided students with practical exposure across both pharmaceutical industry and clinical practice, complementing their academic learning with experience in professional healthcare and pharmaceutical settings. Students received hands-on training in pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality control, analytical instrumentation and formulation development, strengthening their understanding of processes involved in the development and production of medicines.
As part of the industrial component, the students gained exposure to a World Health Organization (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-certified pharmaceutical company. This experience enabled them to observe pharmaceutical production and quality systems within an industry environment and develop greater awareness of standards relevant to pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality assurance.
The clinical component included training at Kasturba Hospital, where students developed practical competencies in patient counselling, adverse drug reaction reporting and medication management. Exposure to clinical pharmacy practice also provided opportunities to understand the pharmacist’s role within an interprofessional healthcare team and the importance of patient-centred approaches to the safe and effective use of medicines.
The international learning experience contributed to the development of professional competencies relevant to contemporary pharmaceutical practice, while exposing students to approaches and standards used in pharmaceutical education, industry and healthcare delivery beyond the Maldives.
For FHS, the externship represents an opportunity to extend pharmacy education beyond the classroom and provide students with structured international exposure to both industrial and clinical environments. Such experiences can support the development of graduates with practical knowledge, professional skills and broader perspectives relevant to the evolving pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
The collaboration with MAHE-MCOPS also contributes to MNU’s international academic engagement by creating opportunities for students to experience different dimensions of pharmaceutical practice and to strengthen links between academic education, professional practice and the health sector.
The programme contributes particularly to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) through its focus on safe and effective medication use and clinical pharmacy practice, and SDG 4 (Quality Education) through experiential and international learning opportunities. It also reflects the value of international partnerships in strengthening education and professional capacity in the pharmaceutical sciences.