Senate Passes “The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Feb, 2024) The Senate convened on Monday and passed The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023, clause-by-clause to enhance and standardize pharmacy education across the country, aiming to cultivate professionally skilled human resources.

Senator Mushaq Ahmed introduced the bill, which aimed to grant recognition to qualified pharmacists and foster opportunities for postgraduate specialized diploma programs to enhance their skills.

Additionally, it seeks to curb and prohibit unchecked and substandard pharmacy education programs through robust recognition procedures and prohibitions.

The prevailing pharmacy Act was promulgated in 1967 in a time when the country was deficient of relevant qualified professional human resources.

Couples of universities were awarding degree in Pharmacy i-e, university of the Punjab and university of Karachi, whereas now there are almost 100 institutes conducing Pharmacy Degree Courses and more than 200 institutes imparting education in Pharmacy Technician programs.

There is dire need of drastic amendments to live decades old pharmacy act.

The existing Pharmacy Act provides for registration of Pharmacists persons other than those not holding a relevant qualification in Pharmacy.

While internationally health professions are being segregated in different categories of healthcare service delivery levels and updated to meet the challenges of modern medical and healthcare services deliveries thereof with appropriate professional recognitions.

To meet the requirements of legally qualified and professionally competent human resources in the health care sector both inland and to the international market, this professional segregation through amendments in the existing act is unavoidable.