LAHORE, Sept 29: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has approved the launching of a five-year ‘Doctor of Pharmacy’ graduation course in all universities and other institutions offering pharmacy education.

The course has been approved in line with the recommendations of the Central Pharmacy Council and the World Health Organization.

The governor also approved new syllabi for the five professional examinations of the Doctor of Pharmacy bachelor’s degree.

The governor was chairing a meeting to bring pharmacy education in conformity with the modern trends in the world here on Monday.

Punjab University vice-chancellor Arshad Mahmood, heads of pharmacy departments of different public sector universities, pharmacology, allopathic medicine, Unani, Ayurvadic and homeopathy medicine experts and pharmaceutical companies’ representatives attended the meeting.

The meeting also decided that pharmacists having four-year B-Pharmacy degree would be offered the opportunity of one-year refresher course at university level to update their knowledge and degree.

Briefing the meeting, PU pharmacy faculty dean Prof Dr Muhammad Jamshed said the university was launching classes of Bachelor of Homoeo Medicine and M.Phil in phyto-medicine.

The governor agreed with the pharmacy teaching staff’s proposal that only those teachers having pharmacy degree should be appointed as head of pharmacy departments in public sector universities.