Pakistan Pharmacist Federation (www.pharmafed.com) has instigated a program to declare the “Pharmacist of the Year; 2013”. The applications from candidates and nomination from institutions/ employers are invited by an independent Panel of Judges. The purpose of this program is to encourage the young and senior pharmacist to establishing the pharmacy profession in Pakistan. Certain pharmacy disciplines (community pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical care, Pharmacovigilance etc.) are still at the bottom line and need special attention for improvement.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The program is established through a partnership of pharmacy academic institutions and professional organizations. Pakistan Pharmacist Federation (www.phamafed.com)  announced the “Pharmacist of the Year; 2013” program to salute the pharmacy professionals in a variety of industry categories who are defining the future of pharmacy. The national awards program recognizes and honors all disciplines of pharmacists, student pharmacists and industry advocates who are determining the future of the industry.

PROGRAM CATEGORIES

The awards program includes 10 categories. Entries will be judged by an independent panel of esteemed judges, chaired by Professor Dr. Nadeem Irfan Bukhari Professor of Pharmaceutics, University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Up to three finalists will be nominated in each category. In addition to 10 category winners, one winner will be named the 2013 “Next-Generation Pharmacist” – the program’s top honor. The contestant categories for Excellency are as under;

1        Community Pharmacists – dispensing, distribution, drug store, medicine shops etc.

2        Academic Pharmacist – teaching, coaching and training the new pharmacy graduates

3        Hospital/ clinical Pharmacists – inventory control, merchandising, distribution, dispensing, Pharmacovigilance, poison control, drug information, patient counseling, prescription review/ evaluation, pharmaceutical care, therapeutical drug monitoring.

4        Industrial Pharmacists – pharmaceutical manufacturing/ production

5        Forensic/ Laboratory Pharmaceutical services – DTL, forensic services etc.

6        Regulatory and Administrative Services – Health Dept’s, Ministry of Health, Drug Regulatory Authority, pharmacy councils, pharmaceutical health intuitions and legislation services

7        Research & Development – drug designing, drug development of all dosage forms.

8        Pharmaceutical Marketing

9        Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA)

10    Pharmacist Research scientists

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1        Nominees must be licensed, registered pharmacists

2        Nomination/ application will be considered for the current working discipline; one award category

3        Self-nominations are accepted and welcomed

4        Individuals may be nominated for as many categories as are appropriate

5        All entries are free

6        The institutional/ organizational nomination should be submitted through proper channel; duly signed by the chairman/ manager/ head/ any designated chief to be

7        More than one nomination in a single category does not increase chances of winning

8        Fourth-year (or 8^th Semester) and higher pharmacy students qualify for the “Future Pharmacist” category

9        Further details of Chair Person, final list of experts,   Categories, recommendations of expert, criteria for selection, nomination and process flow / timelines will be uploaded next week.

The “Pharmacist of the Year” awards ceremony will be held in January, 2014 at Lahore, Pakistan. For further information and updates please follow Facebook, twitter, Linkedin or web www.phamrafed.com;  www.pharmareview.wordpress.com

Last date for nomination/ submission: December 25, 2013

The electronic version of application/ nomination should be submitted to;

Dr. Nadeem Irfan Bukhari Email: nadeem_irfan@hotmail.com; C.: +9203004259738

Dr. Syed Jamshed Ahmed Tel: (021) 4315195-7 Ext. 112; E.: jamahmed@hotmail.com; Jamshed.Ahmed@Pharmevo.biz;

Dr.Tahir Aziz Mughal E.: tahir@skm.org.pk; mtahirphd@yahoo.com  C.: +923214887801; T.: +923214887801,

 Prof. Dr. Syed Umer Jan Email: suj55@yahoo.com ; C.: 03009382344

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saeed Email: saeedrph:2000@yahoo.com; T.: +92919216750

PANEL OF JUDGES

Chairman; Dr. Nadeem Irfan Bukhari, B.Pharm, M.Phil (Pharmaceutics), PhD (Pharm. Tech.) Professor of Pharmaceutics, University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Allama Iqbal Campus, Lahore-54000 Pakistan. H/P: +92-3004259738; Email: nadeem_irfan@hotmail.com; C.: +9203004259738

Co-Chairman  (Sindh); Syed Jamshed Ahmed  B. Pharm., MBA., M. Phil., Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, PharmEvo (Pvt.) Ltd., 402 Business Ave Shara-e-Faisal, Karachi, Pakistan. C.: 03008257351; Tel: (021) 4315195-7 Ext. 112; E.: jamahmed@hotmail.com;Jamshed.Ahmed@Pharmevo.biz; W

Co-Chairman (Punjab); Dr. Tahir Aziz Mughal B. Pharm., M. Phil., Ph.D Expert clinical and hospital Pharmacist, Lahore, Pakistan. E.: tahir@skm.org.pk; mtahirphd@yahoo.com  C.: +923214887801; T.: +923214887801,

Co-Chairman (Baluchistan); Syed Umer Jan, Ex-chairman Dept. of Pharmacy, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan. Email: suj55@yahoo.com ; C.: 03009382344

Co-Chairman (KPK); Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saeed B. Pharm., M. Phil., Ph.D., Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Pashawar, KPK, Pakistan. Email: saeedrph:2000@yahoo.com; T.: +92919216750

MEMBERS PANEL OF JUDGES

Muhammad Shamoon Chaudhary Secretary: Punjab Pharmacy Council, Humma Block, Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore, Pakistan.

Ikram Khan; Senior Scientific Officer, National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, Pakistan. C.: +92 300 985 7292

Hafiz Muhammad Malik Kashif, Junior Forensic Analyst, Punjab Forensic Science Agency, Lahore, Pakistan. Email: kashifnawaz786@hotmail.com; C.:  03016546056

Fiaz Ahmad Faizi Senior/ Executive Pharmacy Professional, Vice President PPA (Pb.), Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore, Pakistan. C.: +92 300/ 321 420 5253

Dr. Tofeeq-ur-Rehman B. Pharm. M. Phil., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of pharmacy, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. E.:tofeeq.urrehman@qau.edu.pk; T.:  +92-051 9064-4139

Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Umar Nisar (Pharm-D, R.Ph) production Pharmacist, Lahore, Pakistan.  329-G4 Wapda Town, Lahore, Pakistan. C.: +92 300 478 0439; E: pharmafederation@gmail.com

Muhammad Qaiser B. Pharm., M. Phil., Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100 Pakistan. C.: +923317612710

1. Collection, management and spending the funds of Pakistan Pharmacist Association even after expiry of legitimated tenure of two years defined in article of association defined in Article of Association.

2. Collection of funds and resources while misusing his current official position and representation.

3. Persuasion and temptation of pharmaceutical institutions and personals to do whatever he like them to do. He is illegally representing PPA in the Pharmacy Council even after expiry of legitimated tenure of two years defined in article of association.

4. Representing on behalf of PPA in different government institution and official organization (i.e. Pharmacy Council, Licensing Board, Appellate Board, Drug Regulatory Authority etc) even after expiry of legitimated tenure of two years defined in article of association defined in Article of Association.

5. Designing and scheduling an illegal activity (unprincipled 18^th International Pharmacy Conference and Exhibition being organized in Lahore from 30^th October to 2^nd November, 2013 even after expiry the session 2009-11.) on behalf of Pakistan Pharmacist Association even after expiry of legitimated tenure of two years defined in article of association defined in Article of Associationhttps://deeppink-gerbil-660508.hostingersite.com/content-upload/uploads//2012/03/article-of-association-constitution.pdf

6. Communication on behalf of Pharmacy Council and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan which is not his legitimated privilege. Pharmacy Council and Higher Education Commission are established institution with high profiled experts. They don’t need any agent to speak on their behalf. The decision of withdrawing the one year residency after Pharm-D is the privilege of Higher Education Commission and Pharmacy Council. It should not be handled by incompetent, irrelevant and illegally occupants of Pakistan Pharmacist Association.

Hence; the pharmacists of all over the world are requested to help us to bring a change, support the revolution and castigate the culprits. 

(CP Photo)

Brace yourself for a spirited and, at times, probably uncivil debate as Edmonton police prepare to introduce a hijab option for its uniform in a bid to recruit Muslim women.

The National Post reports the Edmonton Police Service plans to include the hijab as optional headgear as early as next year.

“Several prototypes have been created and are now being tested to ensure officer safety and other considerations,” the department said in an news release.

“It is important that anyone who has a calling to serve and protect Edmontonians, and who passes rigorous police training standards feel welcome and included in the EPS.”

While much of Alberta is typically thought of as having very conservative values, it should be noted that Edmonton historically is not as conservative as the rest of the province, regularly electing Liberals and New Democrats to Parliament, as well as the provincial legislature.

[ Related: Montreal professors don hijab to protest secular charter ]

And for the record, it’s not the first Canadian police service to introduce the headscarf worn by many devout Muslim women. The Toronto Police Service opened the door to hijab-wearing officers in 2011 and has actively worked at recruiting female Muslims to the force, QMI Agency reported at the time.

To be fair, the force didn’t exactly trumpet that change. A subsequent news release on the swearing in of new auxiliary police officers buried the fact recruit Mona Tabesh was “the first woman to wear a hijab in a Toronto Police Service uniform.”

Toronto’s initiative drew a predictable reaction from traditionalists. Toronto Sun guest columnist David Menzies saw it as political correctness, an unreasonable extension of reasonable accommodation to the city’s multicultural reality.

“Indeed, just how far do we take reasonable accommodation in the police department?” Menzies wrote.

“Do Muslim police officers reserve the right not to work with the Canine Unit, given that many Muslims consider dogs ‘unclean?’ Will ham sandwiches be banned from police stations due to dietary restrictions?”

Edmonton Councillor Scott McKeen called his city’s initiative a “gesture of inclusion” toward the local Muslim community that sometimes feels “skittish” at times because of Islamophobia.

“One of the perceptions about Edmonton and Alberta is that we’re kind of redneck,” McKeen told thePost.

Offering the hijab as an option for police recruits, especially in the absence of any political pressure, “is sort of saying we want to have a diverse police service that reflects the diversity and multicultural aspects of Edmonton…. I’m proud of us.”

McKeen observed the decision is in striking contrast to Quebec’s move, via its proposed values charter, to bar the hijab and other overt religious symbols from being worn by public servants.

[ Related: 6 niqab legal controversies in Canada ]

The move is a “natural evolution” for policing in Canada, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims Ihsaan Gardee told the Post, comparing it to the introduction of the Sikh turbanto the RCMP uniform in 1990.

That change triggered heated debate at the time and still rankles in some quarters, but most people now take it for granted.

Muslim policewomen in London, England’s Metropolitan Police Force have been allowed to wear a hijab since 2001.

“We know of many Muslim women who had thought of joining the Met, only to be put off when they were told they could not wear the hijab,” Mahammad Mahroof, of the Association of Muslim Police told the Guardian at the time. “Hopefully, having this option will encourage more to become police officers.”

Other British police forces have since implemented the change.

“The move is seen as a further sign of official acceptance of Britain as a religiously diverse society where faith-related accommodations should be made for all individuals,” says a Facebook page on the topic.

In Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and the armed forces permit the hijab as part of the uniform.

ہم اینٹی بایوٹک یا بیکٹیریا کو ختم کرنے والے دور کے بعد والے دور میں قدم رکھ چکے ہیں،ماہرین۔ فوٹو: فائل

لندن: طبی ماہرین کے ایک عالمی کمیشن نے آگاہ کیا ہے کہ جدید طب یا میڈیسن کو سب سے زیادہ ایسے بیکٹیریا یا جراثیم سے خطرہ لاحق ہے جو دوائوں کے خلاف مدافعت پیدا کرتے جا رہے ہیں۔

یہ تحقیق طبی جریدے دا لانسٹ میں شائع ہوئی ہے جریدے میں شائع رپورٹ میں ماہرین نے نئی نسل کے بیکٹیریا کے خطرے سے نمٹنے کے لیے پہلے سے کہیں زیادہ عالمی تعاون پر زور دیا ہے۔ماہرین کا کہنا ہے کہ ہم اینٹی بایوٹک یا بیکٹیریا کو ختم کرنے والے دور کے بعد والے دور میں قدم رکھ چکے ہیںان کا کہنا ہے کہ مستقبل قریب کے چند برسوں میں اگر بیکٹیریا کے خطرناک اثرات سے بچنا ہے تو فوری طور پر عالمی سطح پر سرگرم ہونے کی ضرورت ہے۔اس کے تحت موجودہ اینٹی بایوٹک ادویہ کے استعمال میں کمی اور دوا بنانے والی کمپنیوں کو بیکٹیریا مخالف دوسری قسم کی نئی دوائیں بنانے کے لیے مراعات کی ضرورت پر زور دیا گیا ہے۔