71st anniversary of pharmacy profession in Pakistan: Why pharmacists’ are still flying under the radar?

Why is Pakistan vulnerable to COVID‐19 associated morbidity and mortality? A scoping review

“…72,73 Moreover, unavailability of qualified and trained community pharmacists at drug retail outlets add fuel to the fire, 74 as patients are not provided with required consultation and infection prevention measures for common infections. 38,[75][76][77] However, there are growing debates that pharmacists-being the first to be reached by patients in resource deprived settings-have all the abilities and expertise to forestall and resolve minor health issues, including infectious diseases, through proper counseling. 76,78 Well-trained community pharmacists can refer the critically ill patients (eg, presumptive COVID-19 patients) to specialized healthcare facilities.…”

Pharmacy Services beyond the Basics: A Qualitative Study to Explore Perspectives of Pharmacists towards Basic and Enhanced Pharmacy Services in Pakistan

“…In Pakistan, the three year Bachelor of Pharmacy degree was first initiated in 1948 [24]. However, the regulations and job description for the pharmacy profession were defined decades later in the Pharmacy Act, 1967 [24].…”

“…In Pakistan, the three year Bachelor of Pharmacy degree was first initiated in 1948 [24]. However, the regulations and job description for the pharmacy profession were defined decades later in the Pharmacy Act, 1967 [24]. The pharmacy degree has seen a transition from the four year B.Pharm program in 1979 to the five year Pharm-D program in 2004 [24].…”

“…However, the regulations and job description for the pharmacy profession were defined decades later in the Pharmacy Act, 1967 [24]. The pharmacy degree has seen a transition from the four year B.Pharm program in 1979 to the five year Pharm-D program in 2004 [24]. Along with the improvements in the pharmacy curriculum, the goal of implementing enhanced cognitive pharmacy services and the recruitment of pharmacists in hospitals was also called for in Pakistan's National Drug Policy 2003 [20,24].…”

“…The pharmacy degree has seen a transition from the four year B.Pharm program in 1979 to the five year Pharm-D program in 2004 [24]. Along with the improvements in the pharmacy curriculum, the goal of implementing enhanced cognitive pharmacy services and the recruitment of pharmacists in hospitals was also called for in Pakistan's National Drug Policy 2003 [20,24]. Moreover, in recognition of the importance of delivering pharmacy services, the Federal Government of Pakistan introduced the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Act 2012 to provide the legislative impetus to develop high quality pharmacy services throughout the country [25].…”