Review of Pharmacy Professionals and Drug Jurisprudence to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Punjab Province of Pakistan.

Abstract

The current health practice of Punjab Province of Pakistan needs a serious attention to control the unnecessary drug usage, improve pharmaceutical care and establish excellent public health system. Hence, the health officials of Govt. of Pakistan have established "Drug Regulatory Authority", and Punjab Health Department has chalked out Punjab Drug Rule, 2007 to deployed a revised health structure in Punjab. But, unluckily, the medical physicians, drug store owners and bureaucracy have not put it into actual practice. Punjab Health Department has made amendments in the Drug Rules, 2007; substituted the word "three" by the "ten" and suspended it until 2017 via notification printed in the official weekly gazette dated February 10, 2010. This potential confliction of interest can also be noticed in hospital settings, community clinical practice and other allied health institutions. The most awful part the current scenario is the insufficient aspirations to share the clinical burden to provide the health facilities for patients presented in hospital/ clinical setting. The consultant physicians and medical practitioners are very much reluctant to involve the pharmacy professionals to perform their primary professional role. They want them to stay away from their actual scientific job and keep doing the administrative and clerical work. Therefore, the current health system and drug jurisprudence needs a serious attention to address the health problem. That will help to minimize avoidable mortalities, wrong medication, irrational prescription and development of drug resistance. Moreover, a conclusive prescribing guidelines and appropriate drug jurisprudence will expedite the achievement of MDG of WHO.

Pakistan’s Opioid Squeeze: Impacts of Taliban Edicts, Indian Synthetics and Chinese Regulations

“…Fentanyl production is shifting westward and likely will not stop in India. Pakistan has mature international opioid distribution channels, a massive domestic opioid user base (Shabbir, 2018), a large and growing population of competent chemists (Nazir et al, 2016), a rapidly developing chemical and pharmaceutical infrastructure (PCMA, 2022), limited pharmacy (pharmacists and dispensers) professionalism and oversight (Hussain & Ibrahim, 2011), weak police enforcement (Abbas, 2011) and omnipresent government corruption (Transparency International, 2021). All these elements, combined with Taliban edicts reducing or eliminating Afghan opioid output, make Pakistan the obvious and likely choice for future synthetic opioid production and distribution.…”

Perspectives on an amended law addressing pharmacists' availability in community pharmacies

“…The amendment, which was supposed to be fully implemented in 2010, went into effect in 2017. The delay was attributed to logistical reasons including shortage of pharmacists and government ability to enforce changes 11 . Understandably, this amendment has been a source of vocal dissatisfaction for individuals carrying type C licences who, out of necessity, have been allowed to register with the Pakistan Pharmacy Council and to run medical stores and pharmacies in their locations 9,12 .…”

Role of Community Pharmacies in Rational use of Medicines: A Scenario in Pakistan

“…They want pharmacist to perform managerial and clerical job rather than scientific work. [11][12][13] According to World Health Organization the number of medicines on the market is also a substantial challenge in rational use of medicines and pharmaceutical market of Pakistan have almost 70,000 registered brands. [14,15] So, during this decade, rational use of drugs in Pakistan promoted by community pharmacies through any legislatives and other clouts seems not possible.…”