Pharmacy Profession in Pakistan: Current Status, Future Challenges and Opportunities

I remember one cold evening I spent with two professors at Anarkali Bazar. We were there on dinner and topic of discussion on the table was current trends in Pharmacy Profession and how bad is the system of Pakistan. I was in 3rd Professional year and could not engulf most of the discussion happening. To make things more comprehensible for myself and owing to my curiosity, I asked my professor a question,"What is the scope of Pharmacy Profession in Pakistan?" He replied with a sarcastic smile," What is the scope of Human Being in Pakistan"

One thing I learned over the years based on my observation and little understanding of the world is "There is no scope of any profession in this world, scope relates to the person who practices that profession". Same applies to Pharmacy Profession. Having a clear sense of contemporary issues, empiric realities and changing trends is also the responsibility of professional practicing the profession.

After remaining in Pharmacy Profession as a student and now as teacher for more than 14 years, observing the medical profession in both developing and developed world and having a close look at the expanding technologies and changing economies, I have gathered few insights that I feel appropriate to share with my colleagues and junior Pharmacists. First, I will present some statistics.Thereafter, I will share some traditional opportunities a Pakistani pharmacist has in hand and what are the merits and demerits related to them. Finally, I will share some good news for junior pharmacists, who have just entered or studying at Pharmacy Institutes.

Before the year 2000 there were only about 10 Institutes across Pakistan involved in training pharmacists and the number of pharmacists were very few not only in Pakistan but globally they were in demand and as soon as they graduated, they settled themselves quite easily by migrating to developed countries like USA, Canada, UK and to Middle East. Those who preferred to stay in Pakistan were also consumed in Industry or they launched their own pharmacies, distribution setups or industries. Number of Pharmacists produced annually were either less or matched the traditional opportunities available at that time.  Things were under control somehow for pharmacists and pharmacy profession was a lucrative alternative choice of FSc pre-medical group of students after MBBS. 

Although, it disrupted the entire global economy and professions, the advent of 21st century did not spare pharmacy profession in Pakistan also. I leave the discussion about global economy and how it has affected all the professions for some known experts, suffice here is to mention the book linchpin for those interested more in this topic.

Let come back to Pakistani Pharmacists. Private pharmacy institutes were rare before year 2000 in Pakistan. In year 2003, 4 years B.Pharmacy degree was upgraded to Pharm.D degree and the syllabus was approved by HEC. This was the turning point in the history of Pharmacy Profession in Pakistan. The prefix Dr. made pharmacy degree a hot cake, demand of the degree started soaring and seeing the opportunity, private sector jumped in the market and soon there was mushrooming of pharmacy institutes specifically in Lahore and all across Pakistan in general. Now days, there are more than 53 institutes across Pakistan that are producing annually more than 5000 pharmacists. 

Export of pharmacists in developed world continued around year 2005 and those who could avail chance are now well settled professionally in the developed world. As the number of pharmacists started increasing due to plethora of pharmacy institutes, the opportunities started vanishing globally and on a local level as well. Inflation in education was the second result; Pharm.D was not a sufficient education for getting a respectable job. This is the time, when higher education commission was giving scholarships generously for higher studies abroad as well as doing M.Phil and PhD locally. The fresh pharmacists immediately after B.Pharm or Pharm.D enrolled themselves in M.Phil and subsequently in PhD and grabbed the opportunities  in government and private teaching institutes. That was a great choice couple of years back. Now, all the teaching institutes are already full or are about to be full with HEC imported PhDs. 

On an approximation, it can be said those pharmacists who graduated before year 2010 are somehow settled somewhere. But the pharmacists after year 2010 are still struggling to find their niches and that is partly because of changing trends in the pharmacy profession. It may seem a very dark picture of pharmacy profession but hold on remain with me and read the essay till end. With every changing trend or a difficulty rises an opportunity which was never there before. I will explore some of the traditional opportunities and some new ones developed with these changing trends. I am still proud to say that Pharmacy Profession is the best profession and its demand and scope can never vanish, it may change form but it will remain there.

Traditional opportunities available to fresh Pharm.D graduates in Pakistan are;

A. Government Jobs;

1.Hospital Pharmacist in Government Teaching Hospitals

2. Drug Inspector

3. Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan

4. Forensic Scientist

5. Drug Testing Laboratories

6. World Health Organization

Government jobs are too much competitive and it is said that they are often not much meritorious, but chances are some may get them but still they will be in hundreds..It is difficult for the government to accommodate all pharmacists produced in thousands as physicians and nurses are already struggling for their salary raises and we see strikes every other day.  One option is yet there, wait for the good days when the entire governance and health care system in Pakistan becomes as smooth as it "SHOULD", which frankly i dont see in near future. These are not only the pharmacists being affected, it applies to every profession.

Private Jobs:

1. Pharmaceutical Industry

2. Retail or Community Pharmacy

3. Distribution setup

4. Sales and Marketing

5. Hospital Pharmacist at private hospital

6. Instructor at Institute training Category B candidates

7. NGOs

8. Nutraceutical Industry

9. Cosmetic Industry

10. Training Centers

Private jobs are good for those who understand how capitalism work. Why are even these private sector existing and what is the mission and vision of private enterprises?

One bad news is if you start looking at these opportunities after your graduation, chances are you will have to spend some more precious and equally vital years and energies finding the best for yourself and it is also possible you will suffer from some bouts of depression (due to social and marital responsibilities, applicable to both genders) but if you are resilient and are determined to make your way, you can make a good livelihood provided you find the good mentor in these jobs, it is also possible you can open your own private business after consuming your time and energies.

Good news is for those who are studying in pharmacy institutes right now. They should take the responsibility of choosing their field during their study years, develop network with the gurus and owners of these private businesses and start learning the real secrets of their trades. Don't assume someone will tell you in your ears that this is the job for you, it is your responsibility to start the search now. World is no more the way it was. You are now responsible for your life. We quote of western systems as example and forget to know teens there start earning at the age of 17. East is far richer than west if we follow some of their good habits which are in fact universal principles.  If you start searching at the age of 17, there are way higher chances that you will be right on track before your marriage at the age of 24, 25. Pharmacy profession needs such responsible pharmacists badly. 

3. Higher Education:

If you have time and can afford, higher education can be another opportunity for you.

M.Phil and PhD 

Opportunity for fresh M.Phil and PhD is in teaching and research but again the bad news is vacancies in teaching sector are being filled in speeds unimaginable. Working with private research organizations and industries is the option left.

Opportunities for Fresh Pharmacist Abroad:

There are still opportunities for pharmacists abroad but only if an undergraduate pharmacist starts working in his/her college years. As it is now a lengthy process and requires equally great efforts to become registered pharmacist in developed world like USA, Canada, Australia, UK and  Middle East. Knowing visa procedures, calculating costs, and knowing the challenges of jobs in healthcare are pre-requisite and this is very much possible to gather all this information in the student years. In addition, one must take into account the price to be paid for leaving the mother land where all the loved ones are living.

Another opportunity abroad is higher education and certainly very much possible and attractive too and if someone plans to pursue higher education abroad, good news is that there is no need to enroll in master programs as 5 years Pharm.D degree allows Pakistani pharmacists to get admission directly in PhD provided they know research and have developed taste of it and clearly know what skills are required to do PhD. This again is very much possible now to have all this information if someone knows how to use google and google scholar. Professors in any university in Pakistan can guide a students in this regard. It is now the responsibility of a pharmacy student to seek guidance from their professors, network with professor all around globe through linkedIn.

Well, I have discussed so far the traditional opportunities, all these options are good depending on the taste and liking of the pharmacist and all these options provide a mean to have a reasonable livelihood. But, if a pharmacist really wish to become financially prosperous, good news is pharmacy profession has the potential to make one satiate this desire. The way to do this is to understand that pharmacy profession all around the globe is world's top business. Pakistan requires so much more industries and community pharmacies that the seemingly excessive number of pharmacists immediately starts looking scarce. But, again for jumping into these ventures, one requires a "through street knowledge" of the state of affairs of business and entrepreneurship. In addition,there is  a big space in teaching and training common public about routine health issues and emerging information & mobile technology gives a big opportunity to start online ventures of serving and earning. There is single rule of entrepreneurship, solve a problem and get your return and it is a great opportunity that there are lot of problems in Pakistan that need to be fixed and technology has the potential to help solve those problems. I feel learning technology as a medical professional is now mandatory to unleash the potential it has for transforming healthcare paradigms. 

Well, mostly it seems, the opportunities are for students who are in their student life. For pharmacists, who have already graduated and are struggling with finding jobs and are thinking for higher education in hope to get a job in a university, there is a bad news that things may not be easy for you now but  if you are persistent and are willing to compensate the "overlooking" of undergraduate years, spend a day or two with yourself to see your work alienation and then start working to learn your field. It may take  some more years of your life to achieve some goal but you will. People say, "Oh, I don't have stamina now to learn". In 21st century, continuous learning in the minimum requirement to excel in your field. By the way, these years will somehow pass even if you don't do anything except complaining about the profession and system but still then you will have to learn whatever the field you wish to work in. Those who say pharmacy profession has no scope it is not the profession, it is their "self" which has no scope as I believe scope relates to person not profession.