Pharmaceutical Review (www.pharmarev.com). A delegate of pharmacist community has visited to Mr. Abdul Jalil Joint Secretary, Health / PDM Cabinet Block, Islamabad, Pakistan regarding the revised six year curriculum of Pharm-D proposed by Higher Education Commission, Pakistan. The delegate comprised of as under;

1. Dr. Taha Nazir Associate Professor, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

2. Mr. Iradat Hussain, Margalla Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan.

3. Mr. Zia Uddin University of Malakant, KPK, Vice President Pakistan Pharmacist Federation, KPK.

4. Dr. Ahmad Saeed Malik; Chief Organizer Young Pharmacist Association, Pakistan.

5. Ahmed Salman Javed Media Adviser, Pharmacist Federation Pakistan.

The members of this delegate has emphasized Joint Secretary, Health / PDM Cabinet Block to avoid implementation of this new six year Pharm-D program proposed by Higher Education Commission, Islamabad without proper vetting. Especially the extension of duration in prevailing financial situation is big burden and will contribute to worsen the economic situation of students and their parents. Hence; Mr. Abdul Jalil Joint Secretary, Health / PDM Cabinet has accepted the raised issues. He told to the expert pharmacists that the points raised will be considered and discussed before formal implementation.

 The graduating pharmacist, in present scenario are higher than need in health care system or jobs available in health sectors. Thus; the overwhelming majority of pharmacy graduates are unemployed. Moreover; the one year pre-registration training become useless when student are already academically bound to work with pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, community pharmacies and health care settings to get initial training/ apprenticeship/ clerkship for two years (from 7^th semester to 10^th semester). In advance countries, pre-registration training is mandatory and instituted to compensate the resource deficiency, structured and well-paid by the state.

Dear Pharmacists!

I am immensely pleased to receive response mail of Pakistan Pharmacist Federation. secondly; thanks for involving me in this critical issue of pharmacy profession; extension of Pharm-D. The main thing which needs to be kept in mind that Phram-D is a bachelor degree not a doctorate degree. We know that lots of changes are taking place in many countries but at the same time we are ignoring the countries having 4 years pharmacy degree. Before referring to countries, mentioned in the mail. There are countries have three types of pharmacists (A, B, C)? Is somebody having the data about the pharmacy graduates going abroad and those unemployed in the country?

Question is not getting job abroad but to enhance the practice skills of pharmacist….this is only possible through appropriate experiential training

We are against the addition of 6th year because of the following.
1- It is unstructured. – (this is doable)
2- It will open the door of corruption, students will give money to take the certificates from the organizations, affiliated by the Pakistan Pharmacy Council. This is just a manageable and controllable fear.
3- Doctors are also having residency but it is paid and after registering with their council, but it will be other way round in our country. This is again doable/ ambiguous.
There are many things more but I don’t want to write a lengthy mail. Hope that before having any decision, policy makers should acquire the required data about the current status of pharmacists within the country. We should produce pharmacists as per need of the country.

I hope these emails, scientific reports and comments will influence the people making curriculum to take justified steps. The curriculum should be need-based and duly endorsed by experts. People involved in such business have their vested interests, whereas, any change or addition in curriculum needs to be done for the nation rather the people themselves.

The additional one year training is being made mandatory for getting registration in category A. Another distressing thing that the pharmacist community is silent on the procedure of preregistration in category B, every pharmacist working in Health Department is recommending five person every year by taking Rs 20.000/ person. Please address this issue also, and then we will also support the council.

Moreover; Not only me, the whole faculty of pharmacy signed the document showing the seriousness of the irrational changes in curriculum.

Regards

Dr. Khalid Hussain PhD; Uniersity School of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. hussain761@hotmail.com

Pharmaceutical Review (www.pharmarev.com). 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 the 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 the Punjab, 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.

Moreover; the executives of Pakistan Pharmacist Federation; Dr. Abdul Haleem Khan Chief Pharmacist Jinnah Hospital Lahore; Dr. Taha Nazir Ph.D. Associate Professor, Riphah Institurte of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Islamabad, Dr. Tahir Farooq  Arqam Pharmacy, Old Satellite Town, Sargodha,  Malik Muhammad Irshad Hospital Pharmacist Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saeed; Ph.D.  Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dept. of Pharmacy, University of thePeshawar; Abdul Aleem Awan HazaraUniversity, Mansehra, KPK, Jumshaid Ahmad Director Marketing, Pharmevo Ltd., Karachi; Dr. Syed Muzzammil Masood Zaidi Islamabad; Mr. Iradat Hussain Lecturer Margalla Institute of Health Sciences, Gulraiz, Ialamabad; Dr. Haroon Arshad University of Sargodha; Dr. M. Shoaib Zafar, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Hafiz Muhammad Abdullah Gulshen-e-Madina Colony, Bhakhar has disapproved this new preliminary six year scheme of Pharm-D proposed by HEC, Pakistan.