Pharmacy Education and Practice in Pakistan: A Guide to Further Development

Year 2010, Issue: 2, 139 - 156, 01.06.2010

Ghulam Murtaza Mahmood Ahmad Muhammad Iqbal Shujaat Ali Khan Munazza Ejaz Tehmina Yasmin

Abstract

The objective of this article is to identify possible causes for the below par standard of the pharmacy education and practice in Pakistan and some remedial measures for bringing it closer to the advance standards. One hundred and forty five pharmacy teachers from 17 departments of pharmacy of public and private universities were interviewed about their perception regarding key features and various shortcomings of pharmacy education and practice in Pakistan. In Pakistan, pharmacist’s role is not squeezed into national health policy which should be accomplished on priority basis to uplift this profession. In addition, pharmacy institutes need improvement in academic and research facilities qualitatively, not quantitatively. Moreover, pharmacy curriculum needs drastic revision on regular basis for moving to Pharm. D. requirements. Young academicians should be sent to developed countries to get higher education in new subjects of pharmacy to achieve long run goals. As short term policy, well reputed foreign faculty members should be hired and an efficient coordination should be developed between pharmacy institutes, pharmaceutical industries and Pharmacy Council of Pakistan PCP . Pharmacy education and practice in Pakistan needs drastic improvement in the curriculum, infrastructure, administration, regulations and accreditation criteria for movement to Pharm. D.

Keywords

Pharmacy education, Pharmacy practice, Curriculum, Infrastructure, Regulations

References

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