'Govt hospitals lack pharmacists, not fulfills WHO's standard'

• Government hospitals across the country lacked the required number of pharmacists.
• No hospital in the country met the WHO criterion, Dr. Noor Mahar regretted.
• Dr. Noor Mahar said around 5,000 pharmacists passed out every year.

LAHORE: Government hospitals across the country lacked the required number of pharmacists as per the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of one for 15 beds to provide proper healthcare to patients, Drugs Lawyers Forum President Dr. Noor Mahar said on Sunday.

The Punjab government, he said, had issued a notification in October 2012 to fill all vacant posts of pharmacists in the provincial hospitals. However, a number of such posts were still lying vacant even in the Lahore city, he said while talking to APP.

He said some years back, the WHO's standard was one pharmacist for 50 beds.

However, due to sharp increase in population and consequently increasing patients burden on hospitals, the health body had to revise the standard and fix the number of 15 beds for one pharmacist.

Unfortunately, no hospital in the country met the WHO criterion, Dr. Noor Mahar regretted.

He said it was a pharmacist who prescribed the quantity and quality of medicines to a patient. Since there was no involvement of pharmacists in purchase and use of medicines, as their posts were lying vacant in hospitals, the multinational companies prevailed the medication system, he added.

The country's aelophathic medicines market, Dr Noor Mahar, said consisted of around $12 billion per anum in which 38 per cent shareholders were multinational companies.

He said around Rs 1.5 billion per month could be saved through a proper healthcare system. Citing an example, he said a pain-killer Diclofenae sodium, manufactured by national pharmaceutical companies, was available for only 98 paisa in the market, but the multinational companies were selling the same for Rs. 19.50 per tablet.

He questioned as to why medicines of national pharmaceutical companies were not prescribed by doctors for patients. Most of the medical practitioners prescribed unnecessary medicines due to absence of any check and balance mechanism, he added.

Dr Noor Mahar said around 5,000 pharmacists passed out every year. Over 18,000 pharmacists were unemployed across the country, including 7,000 in Punjab, while most posts of pharmacists were lying vacant in hospitals, he added.