In Pakistan, it’s becoming increasingly common for medical stores to lack pharmacists, with reports indicating that 90% of these stores are operating without qualified professionals. This growing issue is raising serious concerns about public health, as many medical stores are being run by untrained staff, much like grocery stores, which could lead to dangerous medical errors.
According to Pakistan’s Waja Karda Act, pharmacists are required to be present at medical stores. However, the reality is far from this mandate. In many stores, uneducated individuals are selling medicines, leading to unsafe practices. Statistics reveal that every year, around 500,000 people lose their lives in Pakistan due to medical mistakes, often linked to improper handling of medications. The government must take strict action to address this problem and ensure that medical stores are properly registered, with checks to confirm that pharmacists are available on-site.
Patients often visit medical stores directly, where they are served by non-medical staff. In many cases, these staff members lack the knowledge to interpret prescriptions correctly, which leads to a rise in issues like antibiotic resistance and the potential side effects of imported medicines.
Syed Farooq Bukhari, former Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, stated that while there are 80,000 pharmacies in Pakistan, only 55,000 are registered. Among them, only a fraction have pharmacists in attendance, leaving many stores run by people who aren’t trained to understand medical prescriptions.
Pharmacists play a crucial role in ensuring the safe distribution of medicines, from explaining their uses to managing potential side effects. The absence of trained professionals in medical stores not only puts patients at risk but also increases the chances of complications arising from improper medication usage.
It is clear that there is a pressing need for the government to enforce the presence of qualified pharmacists in every medical store. This will help ensure that patients are receiving the correct medications, with proper guidance on their use, ultimately safeguarding public health.