Pharmacists’ significance underscored

Published September 26, 2016
NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY: Students gather outside the Lahore Press Club to drive home the importance of the World Pharmacists Day. — White Star
NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY: Students gather outside the Lahore Press Club to drive home the importance of the World Pharmacists Day. — White Star

LAHORE: The World Pharmacists Day was observed in the provincial capital by organising seminars, consultative dialogues and awareness walks on Sunday.

A mega event was arranged at the College of Pharmacy of the Punjab University where more than 500 pharmacists gathered.

College of Pharmacy Dean Prof Dr Khalid Hussain, Principal Prof Dr Nadeem Irfan Bokhari, Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum President Dr Noor Mohammad Mahar and Pakistan Pharmaceutical Consortium President Muhammad Usman among others attended the event.

A cake was also cut to observe the World Pharmacists Day.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Khalid Hussain said pharmacists provided expertise on the composition of drugs, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties and use.

“Pharmacists are drug experts and are concerned about patients’ health and wellness. The principal goal of pharmacist care is to achieve positive outcomes from the use of medication which improves patients’ quality of life with the minimum risk.”

Mr Hussain said the universities in Pakistan were producing world class pharmacists who were accepted the world over.

Mr Noor Mahar said the pharmacists educated consumers and patients on the use of prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, and advise physicians, nurses, and other health professionals on drug decisions.

He said if the government supported the pharmacists, they would help it develop 10,000 manufacturing units of over-the-counter medicines by 2017.

He lamented the services of the health professionals were not being acknowledged at the government level which was evident from the 6,000 vacant positions of pharmacists in Punjab alone. He said one pharmacist on 50 beds in hospitals was need of the day to improve patient health.

While highlighting the importance of the pharmacists in flourishing pharma industry, Muhammad Usman said the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were expected to play a significant role in the growth of the country’s pharma sector.

“The SMEs have played a crucial role in the growth story of the Indian pharmaceutical industry and form an integral part of the sector and by adopting the same approach, Pakistan can also compete in the world and pharmacists are all set to play their due role.”

He said the pharmacists should concentrate on the SME pharmaceutical business, which could start from one-room manufacturing facilities.

“It will result in elimination of spurious, adulterated, misbranded and substandard drugs from Pakistan.

“Pakistan can’t compete with only 500 operating manufacturing factories with India, which is currently having more than 150000 manufacturing units,” he said.

Mr Usman added India was exporting medicines of more than US$ 25 billion, whereas Pakistani exports had dropped from US$ 220m to US$ 120 m.

“On the other hand, our imports have increased from US$ 418 million to US$ 609 million.”

In the end, the pharmacists took a round of government hospitals of Lahore and arranged an awareness walk outside the Lahore Press Club.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2016

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