Pharmaceutical Review (www.pharmarev.com). The executives of Pakistan Pharmacist Federation have forwarded a message to Mr. Nazir-Ul- Din Ehsan Secretary Pakistan Pharmacy Counsel regarding the extension of Pharm-D tenure from five to six years. The executive of Pakistan Pharmacist Federation Prof. Dr. Rafeeq Alam Khan president, Professor of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Karachi University, Karachi; Dr. Taha Nazir General Secretary, Associate Professor, Riphah Institurte of Phamraceuticla Sciences, Islamabad; Media Advisor Dr. Ahmed Salman; President Punjab Malik Muhammad Irshad Hospital Pharmacist Jinnah Hospital, Lahore; General Secretary Punjab Fiaz Ahmad Faizi; President Baluchistan Syed Sultan Muhammad Hospital Pharmacist, BMC Hospital, Quetta, Baluchistan; General Secretary Baluchistan Syed Asmatullah Executive District Office (Health), Noshki, aluchistan; President KPK Dr. Muhammad Saeed Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dept. of Pharmacy, University of the Peshawar; General Secretary KPK Abdul Aleem Awan HazaraUniversity, Mansehra, KPK; Zia Uddin Vice President KPK; President Sindh Jumshaid Ahmad Director Marketing, Pharmevo Ltd. Karachi; Dr. Tahir Farooq Arqam Pharmacy, OldSatellite Town, Sargodha; Vice President Hafiz Arshad Mehmood; Vice President Academics Prof. Iftikhar Husain; Dr. Abdul Haleem Khan Lahore; Mr. Bilal Sorani Islamabad; Mr. Iradat Hussain Rawalpindi; Asaad Imran Lahore; Malik Sharif Awan Gujranwala; Mr. Haron Arshad Sargodha; Abdul Rub Mujahid Bahawalpur; Dr. M. Shoaib Zafar Faisal Abad; Malid Muhammad Waheed Jehlum; Hafiz Muhammad Abdullah Bakhar; Kaleem Ullah Niazi Mianwali; Jamil Khan Achakzai Quetta; Siddique Mohammad Hassani Queta; Dr. Ali Jan Kalat; Ghulam Mustaf Shahwani Kalat; Allah Mir Aabar Zhob; Abdul Qadir Nasar Zhob Division; Munir Ahmad Mengal Nasee Abad Division; Abdul Jabar Magsi Nasee Abad Division; Akram Baloch Makran Division; Dr. Gul Alam Sibbi Division; Dr. Zulfiqar Marri Sibbi Division; Naveed Ahmad Pashawar; Zia Ul Haq (Sher Gar) Mardan; Muhammad Ikram Qambri Bajor Agency; Anayt Ur Rehman Malakand; Taseer Ahmad Dera Ismail Khan; Shahid Khan Kurram Agency has already disapproved this tenure and recommended Mr. Nazir to withdraw this scheme and avoid putting the nation into an ordeal because;
1. The existing socio-economic condition does not permit to enforce one more year burden over the students and parents.
2. The imposition of additional one year training before registration of pharmacy graduates is a violation of the section 25 (1) (a), (b) and (c) of The Pharmacy Act 1967, which describes the eligibility criterion for the registration of pharmacists in various categories (Khan, 2008a). Therefore, pharmacy graduates need not be deprived of their right to be registered in category “A” as per law.
3. Under the prevailing financial situation in the country, the increase in duration, an additional 6th year will be a burden on the poor nation. Moreover, to spend 6 years just for a graduation degree is not justified and will further worsen the economic status of the community.
4. Production of large number of pharmacy graduates: In present scenario both the public and private sector universities are producing pharmacy graduates much more than the number of jobs available in public and private sectors. As a result of this an overwhelming majority of pharmacy graduates are unemployed.
5. At present there is no agreement or legal binding on the pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, community pharmacies and health authorities on providing this one year training attachment. The students who have to travel from far-off areas to major cities for training; hence, hostel accommodation will be a big problem for them.
6. Imposition of additional one year pre-registration training will be an unnecessary binding on the students willing to adopt teaching job, governmental job, carrier abroad or pursue higher education after their graduation.
7. Cost of attachment: It is not clear that whether this one year attachment is paid or unpaid, and if paid then who will bear the cost of this attachment? In some countries, pre-registration training is mandatory and instituted to compensate the resource deficiency, structured and well-paid by the state.
Moreover; Mr. Khalid Saeed Bukhari, President PPA centre and Country Advisor Medicine WHO Member Core Committee PCP, Health System Strengthening and Policy Unit, HSA, Ministry of Health, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad and Mr. Ayaz Ali Khan, Executive member PPA Punjab and Specialist Medical Product and Technology/ Member Core Committee of PCP, Health System Strengthening and Policy Unit, HSA, Ministry of Health, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad has approved this preliminary six year Pharm-D program proposed by Higher Education Commission, Islamabad. The meeting of National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRC) was held on June 6-8, 2011 at HEC Regional Centre, Karachi to finalize the draft Curriculum for Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm-D) Program and will be enforced from next coming academic session of 2012.
While in the mean time; Professor Dr. Bashir Ahmad (Professor of pharmacology, University of thePunjab,Lahore) president PPA Punjab; Syed Sultan Agha president PPA Baluchistan; Fiaz Ahmad Faizi Vice president PPA Punjab and Furqan K. Hashmi General Secretary PPA Punjab have collectively disapproved the preliminary revised six year curriculum. They said it is the personal unfair opinion of Mr. Khalid Saeed Bukhari; they will oppose him at every forum to save this noble profession of pharmacy. Thus; there is big confliction of opinion regarding this issue among the central and provincial command of Pakistan Pharmacist Association.
This stance of Pakistan Pharmacist Federation has also been supported by other professional pharmaceutical groups/ organizations; Mr. Ahmad Saeed Malik Young Pharmacist Association; Dr. Fahad Javaid Pharmacy Graduate Association, Dr. Tariq Saeed Reformers Pharmacist, Zafar Ullah Gondal Progressive Pharmacists.
Thus; Pakistan Pharmacist Federation has declared that if the six year tenure is not be withdrawn, a movement against Mr. Nazir Ul Din Ehsan secretary Pakistan Pharmacy Counsel will be launched and this unfair decision will be challenged in court to safe this noble life saving profession. Moreover; the federation has recommended to Mr. Nazir Ul Din to not waste the resources and energies and work upon the real profession issues of Implementation of the Punjab Drug Rules 2007; assure the issuance of drugs sale license to qualified pharmacist only; designing Pharmaceutical service structure for pharmacists working in Public and private sector; Establishment of independent directorate of pharmacy profession; Appointment of Pharmacist in each department of Hospital; Confirmation of the employment of pharmacists working on temporary or contract basis in all over the Pakistan; enforcing the minimum starting wage of newly appointed pharmacist equivalent to the pay scale of 17th grade officer; Advertisement of the vacant/ announced posts and creation new posts in pharmaceutical setup; Government has not yet appointed Tehsil wise Hospital Pharmacists/ Drugs Inspectors in Khaiber Pukhtoon Khah and Baluchistan; Recruitment and appointment of pharmacists in trauma centre, TB centers operation theatres, TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition),drug information centers and Aseptic dispensing to assure the rational utilization of life saving drugs; appointment of pharmacist as focal person in therapeutical committees, drug purchase committees and clinical pharmaceutical services departments to play as life saving professional; Advertisement and appointment of pharmacist in forensic committee of federal and provincial governments; Appointment of pharmacists in national and international programs i.e. DOTS, National Malaria control program, UNICIEF, World Health Organization, National TB Program etc; Assuring and maintaining the quality pharmacy education through strict control on over the teaching institutions via pharmacy council of Pakistan, teachers training programs, research grants; Collaboration of pharmacy institutions with the hospitals, industries, laboratories and research centers to improve the scientific and profession vision of students; organizing the trainings programs, seminars and conferences all over Pakistan to update the knowledge of Pharmacists; appointment of pharmacist at least in each section of the industry to make sure the quality production. appointments of pharmacists in armed forces, naval hospitals, combine military hospitals (CMH’s) in uniform; Appointment of qualified pharmacists in autonomous institutions i.e. Railways, WAPDA, PTV, PIA etc on permanent and regular basis with all benefits.
General Secretary