KARACHI, Feb 21: Amendments to the Pharmacy Act of 1967 will be formulated and finalized within three months following deliberations during the meetings of a committee that will be formed especially for this purpose.

This was announced on Friday night by the Federal Health Minister, M. Naseer Khan, at a seminar organized by the Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA).

In his speech, he asked DG Health Maj Gen Mohammad Aslam to form a committee having representation from all the stakeholders as soon as possible.

Mr Khan also asked Maj Gen Aslam to find out how many pharmacists needed to be absorbed in the city's federally- controlled health-care facilities if the agreed ratio of one pharmacist to 50 beds was followed.

He issued the above instructions in response to the demands and recommendations which had been raised during the two-day seminar by the pharmacists.

Describing the steps that his ministry had taken for the upgradation of the pharmacy curriculum, the minister pointed out that some guidelines had been prepared for institutions where training of the pharmacists was undertaken. He said pharmacy graduates would be employed in the institutions so that the standard of education could be improved.

"The WTO is round the corner," remarked Mr Khan and said, "Pharmaceutical industry as well as the pharmacists needed to improve their efficiencies so that competition from foreign organizations could be fought off."

He took to task both the DG Health and the community of pharmacists for the continuing sale of spurious and counterfeit medicines in the local markets. Some pharmacists of dubious character had given a bad name to their entire community by selling such drugs, he added.

The minister said that besides refusing to sell counterfeit drugs, the pharmacists should ensure that good storage practices were followed at all levels. "All the cold-chain requirements should also be met," he directed.

The drug inspectors needed to think more of national interest and less of personal interest, he observed. "The pharmacists and drug inspectors have to wage a war against spurious and counterfeit drugs, for which we all should cooperate," he said.

Maj Gen M. Aslam informed all those present at the seminar that the Pharmacy Council had already formulated and shortlisted some amendments meant for the Pharmacy Act. He was of the opinion that every institution where pharmacy training was imparted should be affiliated to a hospital.

He said that the pharmaceutical industry here was rapidly adopting the internationally-recognized good management, manufacturing and storage practices.

The WHO had provided the funds needed for the upgradation of the pharmacy syllabi, said Maj Gen Aslam.

Rehana Saif, Ali A. Sial and Ayaz A. Khan, in their speeches, pointed out the problems being faced by the country's pharmacists.