PHARMACY is the main pillar of the healthcare system but not in Pakistan. I have studied a five-year pharmacy (PharmD) course but there seems to be no use for a pharmacist at hospitals.
As a result, the population suffers owing to the wrong use of medicines prescribed at hospitals. A few years ago, the Supreme Court passed a verdict saying that there should be one pharmacist for 50 beds at hospitals.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this has not been implemented. The pharmacist is an expert in medicines. He knows and cares about drug-drug interaction, drug-food interactions, etc. There are some drugs whose window of safety is narrow. In the developed world, the pharmacist also performs the therapeutic drug monitoring procedure for patients.
I urge the authorities concerned to take notice of this issue and utilise the expertise of our pharmacists.
