LAHORE: The pharmacist community held a protest against the unemployment of over 7,000 pharmacists across the country, inordinate delay in the recruitment positions initiated by the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan and in favour of its demands.
The demonstration was organised outside the Lahore Press Club on the World Pharmacists Day on Friday. The protesters were carrying placards and banners and they were raising slogans, demanding employment opportunities for pharmacists, legal recognition of their professional scope, appointment of clinical pharmacists in hospitals, and announcement of results forrecruitment positions by DRAP.
Addressing the demonstration, pharmacist and president of the Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum Noor Muhammad Mahar said thousands of trained pharmacists were unemployed, even though their services were required in hospitals, basic health units, medicine-monitoring systems and patient counselling services. He called upon the federal and provincial governments to create employment opportunities for approximately 7,000 jobless pharmacists and ensure the mandatory appointment of clinical and hospital pharmacists in all public and private hospitals. He said the recruitment process for more than 100 assistant director positions at DRAP had been subjected to an extraordinary delay.
‘The recruitment examinationswere postponed or cancelled twice, while nearly 2.5 months had passed since the third examination without the announcement of its results.’ He demanded the results be announced immediately and that the recruitment process be completed.
Mr Mahar called for all other vacant technical positions to be filled. He demanded that pharmacists be legally authorised to provide basic pharmacy services, including blood-pressure and bloodglucose testing, first aid and limited wound care.
The gathering demanded appointment of at least one clinical or hospital pharmacist for every 10 beds in all public and private hospitals. It also called for the permanent appointment of at least one pharmacist at every BHU.