Pharm D - Introduction, Scope, Career and Salary in Pakistan

A pharmacist is a healthcare professional who is specialized in the use of medicines and is responsible for the research, discovery and development of new drugs. Wherever there is a medicine, there will be pharmacist either it's a hospital, a pharmacy, a clinic or a pharmaceutical industry. Pharmacist directcly deals with the patients and counsels them in their health related problems and also guides them on safe use of medicines. This article will elaborate the Pharm D - Introduction, Scope, Career and salary in Pakistan.                         

Pharmacy degree in Pakistan:

There are two types of pharmacy degrees in Pakistan i.e A-category and B-category.
A-category is a 5 years degree program called Pharm-D or Doctor of Pharmacy and is issued by the pharmacy council of Pakistan. A-category is registered in register A in pharmacy council.
While B-category is a 2 years degree program called pharmacy technician or pharmacy assistant which is registered in register B in the council. 

Eligibility criteria:

The criteria for 2 years degree is at least 60% marks is matric with science while the criteria for 5 years degree is at least 60% marks in F.Sc or A-level. In government universities the merit of Pharm-D is very high i.e almost 90% while in private institutions the merits is not so high but the fee is very high as compared to the govt. institutes. The fee structure in govt. institutes ranges from 3-5 lac while in private institutions it ranges from 10-15 lac. 

Education and Syllabus:

The basics of medical science is taught in pharmacy education. The students are delivered the knowledge of physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, pharmaceutical dosage forms, microbiology, pharmacognosy,  pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutical analysis, clinical and therapeutics, quality control, hospital pharmacy, industrial pharmacy, clinical pharmacy and drug law in the 5 year degree program. The syllabus can be downloaded from the website of Pharmacy council of Pakistan.                       

Role and Responsibility:

With the advancement in healthcare facilities the role of pharmacist has increased in health sector.
He is responsible for the:

• Research and development of new medicines.
• Dispensing of medicines to the patient.
• Filling of the prescriptions.
• Counseling of the patients.
• Registration of drugs in drug regulatory authority of Pakistan.
• Legal advisor in drug courts.
• Monitoring the legal requirements related to drugs as a drug inspector.
• Healthcare providers hire pharmacists to guide and facilitate about the use of drugs.
• Quality control and quality management in pharmaceutical industries.

Scope of pharmacy in Pakistan:

Pharmacy is a professional degree which has a huge scope in both government and private sectors in Pakistan. Alongwith various jobs in government sector, the pharmacy degree also offers a lot of oppurtunities in private sector.

Pharmacy Jobs in Pakistan:

There are numerous jobs of pharmacists in both the public and private sector that are listed below.

Jobs of pharmacists in government sector:
1. Drug inspector
2. Clinical pharmacist
3. Hospital pharmacist
4. Forensic laboratory
5. Drug court
6. Lecturer/Teacher in pharmaceutical institutes etc.


Jobs of pharmacists in private sector:
1. Marketing for pharmaceutical companies
2. Personal community pharmacy setup
3. Quality control in-charge
4. Production manager in pharmaceutical industries

5. Incharge in research and development departments
6. Private clinical setups
7. Drug distribution setup

                           

Salaries:

There is a diverse range of salaries of pharmacists in Pakistan depending upon the nature of jobs. But as a rough estimate we can say that the salaries of pharmacists working in Pakistan range from 50-90 thousands per month at initial levels which may increase upto 5 lacs depending upon the nature of job. 
While from the community pharmacy setup he/she can earn according to the amount of investment that has been made on a particular setup.

Conclusion:

This was all about the introduction, scope and career of a pharmacist and pharmacy profession in Pakistan. As we all know that the Pharma industry is a top growing field in the world and has a basic role in providing the healthcare facilities to the patients to enhance their quality of life. There are a lot of opportunities waiting for the fresh undergraduates to build their career and serve the humanity at the same time..
If you have any question regarding this article, please let us know in the comment section.

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