LOWER DIR: Pharmacists’ community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has called for immediate enforcement of the province’s pharmacy services policy, warning that continued neglect of the sector is undermining the healthcare system.
The demand was made during a joint press conference held at Timergara Press Club on Sunday by leaders of the Pakistan Pharmacists Association and the Young Pharmacists Community. The speakers urged the provincial government to extend incentives and professional opportunities to pharmacists similar to those offered in the Punjab.
Addressing the media, Young Pharmacists Community’s provincial general secretary Dr Hameed Zia, Pakistan Pharmacists Association leader Dr Yousaf Khan, district general secretary Dr Moeenuddin Tajik, Dr Asghar Khan and Dr Ghufranuddin said pharmacists were medicine experts and a vital pillar of the healthcare system, but were being consistently ignored.
They expressed concern that unqualified and inexperienced individuals were engaged in the sale of medicines across the province, posing serious risks to public health through the distribution of substandard drugs.
Demand immediate enforcement of pharmacy services police
The speakers said only 56 drug inspectors were currently deployed across the province, insufficient for such a large population. They demanded appointment of at least one drug inspector in each tehsil and creation of one pharmacist position for every 50 beds in public hospitals.
Sharing statistics, they said around 11,000 registered pharmacists were available in the province and 26 public and private universities were offering Pharm.D programmes. However, only about 100 pharmacists were employed in the health department, reflecting barely one per cent utilisation - a situation they termed “systematic negligence”.
They noted that despite substantial spending on procurement of medicines, there was not a single pharmacist posted in the offices of district health officer (DHO) to oversee supply chains, quality assessment and rational use of drugs.
The speakers further said the province had only one drug testing laboratory, where reports often took months and called for the establishment of testing facilities at the district level. They also demanded appointment of pharmacists in DHO offices and presence of qualified pharmacists in all public hospitals.
Criticising what they described as discriminatory treatment they said posts of doctors, nurses and paramedics were being increased, while pharmacists continued to be overlooked.
They pointed out that the pharmacist position at Timergara Teaching Hospital had long remained vacant and should be filled without delay.
They also highlighted a severe shortage of clinical pharmacy services including pharmacovigilance centres, antibiotic stewardship programmes and monitoring of adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
Warning about the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, they said the effective inclusion of pharmacists could improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital stays, cut healthcare costs and ensure availability of reliable medical data.
The speakers urged the government to grant pharmacists their due rights and fully utilise their professional expertise to strengthen the healthcare system, curb the spread of counterfeit medicines and ensure safe and quality treatment for the public.
Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2026
