KUALA LUMPUR: A 28-year-old pharmacist at Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital in Wangsa Maju has created a new milestone for the Armed Forces by being its first medical officer to be honoured with the ‘Pharmacy Professional of The Year 2019’ award.
Captain Manvikram Singh Gill was presented with the top professional pharmacist award in Southeast Asia recently by SwipeRx, the largest social network of pharmacists in Southeast Asia.
Manvikram beat thousands of other pharmacists in the region to win the award, given in recognition of his contribution to the practice in the country.
“I am proud of the award which helped put the Armed Forces and the country on a pedestal. It will motivate me and my fellow colleagues to aim higher in our service,” said Manvikram.
He attributed his success to his superior Brigadier-General Datuk Dr A. Halim Basari for his guidance in grooming and encouraging him to do better.
Dr Halim is Malaysia’s first military pharmacist and currently serves as pharmacy director at the Health Services Division of the Defence Ministry.
“I was Dr Halim’s understudy during my early years after graduating as second-lieutenant (from the Armed Forces Health Institute at the Terendak Camp in Malacca).
“It was Dr Halim who intensively groomed me with an advanced pharmacy leadership course,” said Manvikram.
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.
Dr Halim also tasked him with the implementation of a strategic plan that he devised when he began serving his duties.
“The strategic plan was to establish, develop and expand the profession of military pharmacy for the nation. I attended various military professional courses, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercises and deployments,” he said.
Manvikram was also the medical logistician for the declassified ‘Ops Starlight-1’ in the establishment of a field hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees.
Manvikram, who has several publications under his belt related to military pharmacy practice, is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in pharmacy at the International Medical University in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
“I aspire to further promote the capabilities of the pharmacy profession in Malaysia.
“This in the long term will enhance the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists for the betterment of the community,” he said.
Manvikram, who hails from Gunung Rapat in Ipoh, Perak, attended SMK Sri Ampang in Ipoh and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy from the La Trobe University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 2014.
A year later, he enlisted in the Armed Forces and was sent for a two-month professional-duty course in Terendak.
Apart from his regular duties, Manvikram is also actively involved with the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society, the Malaysia-Australia Defence Alumni Association, the Armed Forces Sikh Assocaition and the United Nations Association of Malaysia’s youth chapter.