- Name: Dr. Dennis Ngala
- Nationality: Kenyan
- Age: 27
- University Attended: UoN
- Year of graduation: 2019
- Do you love being a pharmacist? Yes
- Places worked: Dahlia Pharmacy (current) – Pharmacist, Coast General – internship, Bokole CDF Health Centre – internship, Dinlas pharma limited – internship, Lifemed Pharmacy lavington – internship, KNH – attaché, Beta healthcare – attaché, Malibu Pharmacy – attaché
- How did you come up with the name Dahlia?- Tried getting word mix from existing Pharmacy names but that didn’t work out. The search results were close to existing names. Decided to do a Latin or Greek name with deeper meaning. Ended up with Dahlia which is a flower with a deeper meaning of eternal bond of commitment.
- Why Community Practice?
– No employment opportunities rather the pay was little. Decided to venture into business since i have been raised by a businesswoman. - Where is Dahlia located?
– Ngong Road Business Centre, directly opposite Posta next to Marsabit Plaza. - Services offered by Dahlia? – Consultation, Prescription filling and refills, Drug delivery, Patient counselling and education, Malaria and HIV testing, Blood sugar and pressure monitoring
- Challenges experienced when starting up your community practice? – Registration is really a process. Financial challenges.
- How did you finance the start up? – Savings from internship
- Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years? – With several branches and among the top 10 best community pharmacies in Kenya. Doing well in life such that I will not regret the career path I chose.
- What has been your biggest struggle in the Pharmacy field? – Being seen as a kiosk owner and people not understanding there’s so much we do beyond dispensing.
- How do you think you have positively contributed to the Pharmacy field? – Intercepting medication errors makes me sleep happily knowing i have saved a life.
- If you are to change one thing about the profession, what would it be? – Make sure that posting of doctors is brought back.
- Do you have anything you do apart from pharmacy either for income generation or leisure? – Income… Uhm no, I invested all I had in the Pharmacy. Leisure… Yes, I watch football,movies and I do swimming.
- Advice to other pharmacists.
– Keep an open mind