Pharmacy Education and Practice in Pakistan: Are They Affecting our Healthcare System

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The author may have legitimate concerns regarding whether the changes in pharmacy curriculum made sense or not. But unfortunately, the larger problem is not whether the curriculum meets its mark – it is how many pharmacies have well-trained pharmacists in the first place? In making a transition from India (or perhaps from Pakistan) to U.S., two of the prominent differences one notices is (1) how much more expensive the medicines are, and (2) how well-controlled the distribution system is. For example, in my hometown in Bihar, you could simply walk into any drug-store and if you know which medicine you needed, just buy it. A prescription is helpful but never required. Most of those “pharmacists” would have virtually zero training with drugs – there is considered little need for such training, since this job is considered not much different from selling any other type of wares. I suspect the situation may not be much different in many parts of Pakistan (except perhaps in large cities). The large-scale infusion of counterfeit medication is another serious problem. Those are the REAL problems – tinkering with the curriculum alone can not solve them.

An excellent piece Mr. Babar. Thank you for providing an in-depth analysis of pharmacy education in Pakistan and in bringing the shortcomings of the HEC approach to light. I hope the HEC gods care enough to read this and bring about effective change.