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Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
1
Pharmacy Education and Career Opportunities for Pharmacists in
Bangladesh
M. A. Mazid and M. A. Rashid*
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
Abstract
Pharmacy education in Bangladesh started its journey in 1964 after the establishment of Department of Pharmacy
in the University of Dhaka. The first academic session (1964 -1965) of the department began with 24 students,
including 4 female students. However, Pharmacy as a profession was recognized in Bangladesh after the
promulgation of Pharmacy Ordinance 1976. Initially, the academic curriculum consisted of a 3-year Bachelor
(Honors) and 1-year Master of Pharmacy programs. Later on, the undergraduate program was upgraded to 4-year
Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honors) degree in 1996. In 2010, the undergraduate course was further upgraded to 5-year
with internship in hospitals and pharmaceutical industries in order to cope with the international Pharm. D.
(Doctor of Pharmacy) program. Pharmacy graduates in Bangladesh are mainly employed in different sectors of
pharmaceutical industries. Very recently, a few pharmacists have been employed as hospital pharmacists in few
highly reputed private hospitals. However, hospital, community and clinical pharmacy in Bangladesh have not
been well developed due to lack of government policy and hence our people are partly deprived of proper health
care services in Bangladesh.
Key words: Pharmacy education, Pharmacists, Career, Faculty, Bangladesh
Talk of the beginning
Pharmacy as a profession was recognized in
Bangladesh after the promulgation of Bangladesh
Pharmacy Ordinance-1976. Although, the pharmacy
education started in Bangladesh (the then East Pakistan) in
1964 after the establishment of Department of Pharmacy
in the University of Dhaka it is notable to mention here
that the pharmacy education in the then West Pakistan
(present Pakistan) was started in 1944 after the
introduction of the pharmacy courses at the Punjab
University in Lahore. This clearly indicates how the
people of the then East Pakistan (present Bangladesh)
were deprived to get pharmacy education.
The Department of Pharmacy at the University of
Dhaka started its journey with 24 students (20 male and 4
female) from the academic year 1964-65. The journey was
initiated with very poor infrastructure and laboratory
facilities. At that time (from 1964-1966), the students of
pharmacy used to share the classrooms and laboratories
with the students of the Department of Biochemistry.
Professor Kamal Uddin Ahmad was the first Head of the
Department of Pharmacy, while he was also serving as the
Head of the Department of Biochemistry. In 1966, Dr. A.
Jabbar (now Emeritus Professor) took charge of the
Department of Pharmacy although he was in the core to
initiate pharmacy education in Bangladesh (Annual
Report, University of Dhaka, 2007-2008). At the
beginning, Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmad (late), Dr. A. Jabbar,
Dr. N. H. Khan, Dr. Golam Haider, Dr. Atiqur Rahman,
Dr. Akhter Hossain, Dr. Anwarul Azim Choudhury (late),
and Mr. Parvez Ahmed were the faculty members. Later
on, Dr. Abdur Rashid Purakaystha, Dr. S.A. Talukder, Dr.
A. Ghani, and Mr Sukkur Khan joined the department.
Prof. Jabbar is regarded and honored as the pioneer of
pharmacy education in Bangladesh.
Chronology of pharmacy courses
The Department of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka
started pharmacy education by offering a 3-year Bachelor
of Pharmacy course (B. Pharm.). Later on, the degree was
changed to B. Pharm. (Honors) due to heavy demand of
the students. The first batch of students graduated in
*Corresponding author: Dr. M. A. Rashid, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000,
Bangladesh. E-mail: rashidma@univdhaka.edu
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
2
1969. Then, 1-year Master of Pharmacy (M. Pharm.)
course was initiated for a limited number of students who
opted for research. At the beginning, other students were
not allowed to do M. Pharm. However, in 1970 the
department decided to offer the 1-year M. Pharm. course
to all the graduate students under two groups: thesis and
non-thesis. From 1996, the 3-year B. Pharm. (Honors)
program was upgraded to 4-year (Honors) program with
an extensive change in the curriculum and syllabus. In
2003, the 4-year undergraduate program has been taken
under the control of Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and
1-year postgraduate course (thesis and non-thesis group)
has been started in three new departments under the
Faculty of Pharmacy (Annual Report, Dhaka University,
2007-08; www.pharmadu.net; Chowdhury, 2007). At
present, the faculty offers undergraduate course to 70
students each year (65 seats for native students and 5 seats
for foreigners) whereas, each department under the faculty
offers M. Pharm. course in respective subject to one third
of the total graduates in each year.
Department to Faculty
Pharmacy is a multidisciplinary subject which
comprises many subjects of different disciplines. Here, all
the subjects are categorized mainly into three major
disciplines: (i) pharmaceutical chemistry, medicinal
chemistry and drug discovery, pharmaceutical analysis,
etc (ii) pharmaceutical technology, biopharmaceutics, etc
and (iii) pharmacology, clinical pharmacy, hospital
pharmacy, etc. All these subjects are taught in the
undergraduate program. However, to further upgrade the
teaching and learning in order to meet the increasing
demand of pharmacists both nationally and internationally,
the Faculty of Pharmacy started its journey in 1995.
Professor Dr. Nurun Nahar Rahman was appointed as the
first acting Dean of the Faculty.
As per the decision of the Syndicate meeting of the
University of Dhaka (Highest decision making body) in
2003, the 4-year B. Pharm (Hons.) program was taken
under the Faculty of Pharmacy. From then, the Dean of
the Faculty of Pharmacy has been controlling and
coordinating the undergraduate program. At the same
time, to provide specialization in specific discipline at
postgraduate level, three new departments were
established: (i) Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,
(ii) Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical
Technology (now Department of Pharmaceutical
Technology) and (iii) Department of Clinical Pharmacy
and Pharmacology. Professor Dr. A. K. Azad Chowdhury
(19.08.1995 to 24.09.1995 and 12.12.1995 to 29.09.1996),
Professor Dr. Munir Uddin Ahmed (27.08.1997 to
06.12.1997 and 08.03.1998 to 30.09.1999) and Professor
Dr. Choudhury Mahmood Hasan (01.10.1999 to
20.12.2003) served as the elected Dean of the faculty. As a
Dean, Professor Choudhury Mahmood Hasan played
premier role to establish three new departments at
postgraduate levels under the Faculty. Unfortunately, it
took almost 8 years after the establishment of the faculty
in 1995 to open any new department and make them
functional and effective both administratively and
academically. Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Rashid served as
elected Dean of the Faculty from December 2003-October
2010. During this period, the Faculty of Pharmacy turned
to a new dimension in terms of academic and research
activities and development of infrastructures and
laboratory facilities due to coordinated, dynamic and
untiring efforts of the learned faculty members. To
enhance the academic activity of the new departments of
the faculty, Mr. Khondokar Mirazur Rahman, Mr.
Rasheduzzaman Chowdhury, Mr. Mohiuddin Abdul
Quadir and Mr. Md. Abdul Mazid joined as the new
faculty members of the Department of Pharmaceutical
Chemistry in 2003. Later on, more than 20 new teachers
were appointed to the faculty to further enhance and
improve the teaching and learning. As a result of the hard
work and coordinated efforts of the teachers of different
departments, the Faculty of Pharmacy has been able to run
the Bachelor and Masters programs according the
academic calendar without any session jam. From 12
October 2010, Professor Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman took
over the charge as the newly elected Dean of the Faculty
of Pharmacy.
Expansion of pharmacy education in Bangladesh
(a) Pharmacy education in other public universities:
Bangladesh is a densely populated country, and the
literacy rate is still very poor. It is unfortunate to mention
here that, after 1971, the University of Dhaka had been the
only institution offering pharmacy education in
Bangladesh and it took almost 14 years to establish the
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
3
second Department of Pharmacy in Jahangirnagar
University in 1985. To promote pharmacy education, new
pharmacy departments have been established in other
public universities (Table 1). However, all these
departments are suffering from lack of space, class rooms,
laboratory facilities and specialized equipments and more
importantly qualified faculty members.
The old building in Curzon Hall area of the University of Dhaka, where the Department of Pharmacy started its journey in 1964.
Presently, the office of the Dean of the faculty is situated in the ground floor of this building.
Table 1. List of public universities offering pharmacy courses in Bangladesh
Sl. Name of University Location Year of
Establishment No. of
seats/year Accreditation
by PCB
1. University of Dhaka Dhaka 1964 70 Permanent
2. Jahangirnagar University Savar 1985 55 Permanent
3. Rajshahi University Rajshahi 1990 45 Permanent
4. Khulna University Khulna 1997 37 Temporary
5. Noakhali Science and Technology University Noakhali 2006 50 Temporary
6. Jagannath University Dhaka 2009 20 N/A
7. Jessore University Jessore 2010 -- N/A
PCB: Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh. After the promulgation of Pharmacy Ordinance 1976, the PCB became the official
authority of the government to regulate and accreditate the pharmacy education in Bangladesh.
(b) Pharmacy education in private universities: The
establishment of private university in Bangladesh was
initiated through the Private University Act 1992. Until
2010, 22 private universities (Table 2) out of 54 are
offering pharmacy courses. The universities conducting
pharmacy courses are not homogenously distributed
throughout the country. For instance, out of the 22
universities, 18 are located in the capital city Dhaka and
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
4
the rest of them are located in Chittagong. There is no
private university in Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal,
Rangpur, Maymensingh, and Comilla regions to offer
pharmacy courses. However, most of the private
universities offering pharmacy courses do not have their
own campuses. Moreover, the number of trained and
qualified faculty members is also scarce in those
universities as per UGC (University Grants Commission)
guidelines. Although the UGC and PCB have been trying
to upgrade the pharmacy education in Bangladesh, there
are still a lot to be accomplished.
Introduction of 5-year pharmacy program in the
University of Dhaka
In Bangladesh, more than 95% opportunities for
pharmacists are prevailing in pharmaceutical industries.
However, in USA, Australia, Canada and the Middle East,
pharmacy profession is highly patient care oriented, and
they have much more opportunities in hospitals, clinics
and community pharmacy sectors (Ghilzai and Dutta,
2007; Babar, 2005; www.bapibd.com). Those who have
only Pharm. D. [Doctor of Pharmacy, which is actually a
graduate program like MD (Doctor of Medicine), DVM
(Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), etc] or equivalent
degrees, are now eligible to practice in hospitals and
clinics in USA and other developed countries as well as in
the Middle East. It is to be mentioned here that, after
2003, our graduates with the 4-year B. Pharm. (Honors)
degree are not allowed to sit for the pharmacy registration
examination in the USA. Therefore, to improve the
undergraduate courses to global standards and to prepare
our students for the changing trends so that they can work
in global environment, introduction of Pharm. D. program
is highly essential and a prime need.
Several Indian universities, under the guidance of
Pharmacy Council of India, have already introduced
Pharm. D. program from the academic year 2008 (Ghilzai
and Dutta, 2007). In Pakistan, Pharm. D. course has been
introduced from 2005 after the recommendation of Higher
Education Commission of Pakistan (Babar, 2005).
Thailand and Singapore have also introduced Pharm. D.
course recently. In Japan, Pharm. D. course has been
introduced from 2006. Similarly, the universities in KSA,
Qatar, UAE have also introduced Pharm. D. programs
(Babar, 2005; www.bapibd.com; Ahmed and Hassali,
2008; Jamshed et al., 2007).
However, until now there has not been any initiative
from the governmental authority which regulates the
pharmacy profession in Bangladesh. Hence, keeping these
in mind, the Faculty of Pharmacy in the University of
Dhaka took the initiative to upgrade the pharmacy
curriculum. On 6 November 2007, an Academic
Committee Meeting of the Faculty presided by Professor
M. A. Rashid, form a sub-committee to review the Pharm.
D. courses of different universities in USA, Japan, India
etc. The sub-committee comprising of Professor Dr.
Monira Ahsan (convenor), Dr. Md. Selim Reza, Dr. Abdul
Hasnat, Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, Mr. Elias Al-Mamun, Mr.
Jakir Ahmed Chowdhury, and Mr. Abul Kalam Azad
reviewed the syllabi of the Pharm. D. program of different
universities around the world and submitted a proposal on
8 April 2008 to the Dean of the Faculty to upgrade the
present 4-year B. Pharm. program to 5-year Pharm. D.
program with internship in hospitals. The proposal was
approved by the academic committee meeting and
subsequently faculty meeting and was sent to the highest
authority of the university of Dhaka for approval. On 25
August 2010, the Academic Council of the University of
Dhaka approved a 5-year B. Pharm. program from the
academic session 2010-2011 instead of the Pharm. D.
program. We hope the learned members of the Academic
Council will reconsider our proposal soon and approve the
name of the 5-year B. Pharm. program to Pharm. D. as per
the international standard. Although, University of Dhaka
has introduced the 5-year B. Pharm. program, neither the
PCB nor the other university authorities has taken the
initiative to upgrade the existing 4-year B. Pharm.
(Honors) program.
Regulation of pharmacy education in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi universities are affiliated with the
University Grants Commission (UGC), a commission
created according to the Presidential Order (P.O. No 10 of
1973) of the Government of the Peoples’ Republic of
Bangladesh. However, since pharmacy is a professional
subject, the Government of the People's Republic of
Bangladesh promulgated Pharmacy Ordinance (No. X111)
in 1976 and set up Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh
(PCB) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
5
From then the pharmacy courses are designed and
controlled by the PCB. To ensure quality teaching and to
meet the high professional standard of the pharmacists,
PCB initiated ‘A grade’ registration examination system
for the pharmacy graduates of different universities in
2005. Pharmacists having ‘A’ grade registration are
eligible to practice pharmacy in Bangladesh. It is to be
mentioned here that in USA, UK or other European
countries, and in most of the developed and developing
countries, all the graduates in pharmacy must qualify in
the Pharmacy Licensing Examination. Those who pass the
pharmacy licensing examination are allowed to practice
pharmacy. This licensing examination is very essential to
maintain and improve the standard and quality in
pharmacy practice and to develop professionalism among
the pharmacists.
Table 2. List of private universities offering pharmacy courses in Bangladesh
Sl. Name Location Year of
Est. Accreditation
by PCB
1. University of Science and Technology, Chittagong Chittagong 1994 PA*
2. The University of Asia Pacific Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1996 PA
3. Gono Biswabiddyalay Savar 1998 PA
4. Manarat International University Mirpur, Dhaka 2003 PA
5. State University of Bangladesh Dhanmondi, Dhaka 2003 PA
6. East-West University Mohakhali, Dhaka 2003 PA
7. Southeast University Banani, Dhaka 2003 PA
8. Northern University Mohammadpur, Dhaka 2003 PA
9. Primeasia University Banani, Dhaka 2003 PA
10. Stamford University Bangladesh Siddeshwwari, Dhaka 2003 PA
11. University of Development Alternative Dhanmondi, Dhaka 2002 PA
12. North South University Basundhara, Dhaka 2005 PA
13. Dhaka International University Banani, Dhaka 2006 PA
14. Southern University Bangladesh Chittagong 2006 PA
15. International Islamic University, Chittagong Chittagong 2006 PA
16. BGC Trust University of Bangladesh Chittagong 2006 PA
17. Bangladesh University Dhaka -- PA
18. Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology Gulshan, Dhaka -- PA
19. Daffodil International University Dhanmondi, Dhaka -- PA
20 World University of Bangladesh Dhanmondi, Dhaka -- PA
21. Brac University Banani, Dhaka -- --
22. ASA University Shyamoli, Dhaka -- --
*PA means provisional accreditation
Other pharmacy courses in Bangladesh
The PCB also regulates 3-year diploma of pharmacy
courses. Three public Institutes: Institute of Health
Technology, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Institute of Health
technology, Rajshahi; and Armed Forces Medical Institute
(AFMI) under the Ministry of Defense are offering the 3-
year Pharmacy courses. A number of private institutes are
also offering 3-year diploma in pharmacy courses (Table
3). Those who have completed secondary school
certificate (SSC) in science group are eligible to get
admission into 3-year diploma in pharmacy course. The
PCB provides ‘B’ grade registration to the students who
have passed the 3-year diploma in pharmacy course.
Since, PCB directly regulates the curriculum and
examinations of this course, no separate examination is
arranged to provide registration. Moreover, PCB also
regulates pharmacy certificate course. Those, who have
passed SSC in any group can take 3-month special courses
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
6
designed and jointly conducted by Bangladesh
Pharmaceutical Society (BPS) (www.bps-bd.org) and
Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Society (BCDS) and
can sit for the examination. Those who pass this certificate
course are categorized as ‘C’ grade pharmacists by PCB
and they usually work in community pharmacy or run
their own pharmacies.
Pharmacists in pharmaceutical industry
Since 1976 to 2010, about 3000 graduate pharmacists
have got ‘A’ grade registration from the PCB and are
eligible to do practice pharmacy in Bangladesh. After the
promulgation of Drug Control Ordinance in 1982, the
employment of ‘A’ grade registered pharmacists became
mandatory for each pharmaceutical industry and since
then the development of this sector has been accelerated.
The professional knowledge, innovative ideas, and efforts
of the pharmacists working in these areas are the key
factors for flourishing the pharmaceutical sector in
Bangladesh. As a result, local pharmaceutical industries
are fulfilling over 97% of the local demands of quality
medicines. Moreover, the finished and formulated
medicines are also being exported to more than 70
developed and developing countries (www.bapibd.com).
Very recently, local companies have also initiated to
produce biopharmaceuticals, anticancer drugs, hormonal
products, etc. In all these areas, the pharmacists are
playing the pivotal roles for the development of the sector.
Table 3. List of public and private health institutes offering 3-year Diploma in Pharmacy
a) Public
Sl. Name Location Sl. Name Location
1. Institute of Health Technology Dhaka 15. Rumdu Institute of Health Technology Maymensingh
2. Institute of Health Technology Rajshahi 16. Greenview Institute of Health
Technology Dhaka
3. Armed Forces Medical Institutes Dhaka 17. Shaheed SA Memorial Medical
Institute Dhaka
b) Private 18. Institute of Medical and Dental
Technology Tangail
1. Bangladesh Institute of Medical and Dental
Technology Dhaka 19.
Fortune Institute of Health
Technology Dhaka
2. National Institute of Medical and Dental
Technology Dhaka 20.
Newlab Institute of Medical
Technology Dhaka
3. International Institute of Health Science Dhaka 21. Rajshahi Institute of Medical
Technology Rajshahi
4. Psyche Institute of Medical Technology Dhaka 22. Prime Institute of Medical Technology Rajshahi
5. Marks Institute of Medical Technology Dhaka 23. Dhaka Institute of Health Technology Dhaka
6. National Institute of Medical Technology Dhaka 24. Prince Institute of Medical
Technology Dhaka
7. Institute of Medical Technology Dhaka 25. Islami Bank Institute of Health
Technology Rajshahi
8. Chittagong Institute of Medical Technology Chittagong 26. Psyche Institute of Health Technology Bogra
9. Healthways Institute of Medical Technology Bogra 27. Institute of British Colombia Medical
Technology Dhaka
10. Professor Sohrab Uddin Institute of Medical
Technology Tangail 28.
Jaypurhat Institute of Medical
Technology Jaypurhat
11. Prime Institute of Science and Medical
Technology Rangpur 29. Institute of Medical Technology Rajbari
12. Trauma Institute of Medical Technology Dhaka 30. CSSR Institute of Medical Technology Chittagong
13. Bangladesh Institute of Medical Technology Pabna 31. Institute of Medical Technology Faridpur
14. TMSS Medical Technology Institute Bogra
Among the Bangladeshi pharmacy graduates, about
1000 pharmacists are working in pharmaceutical
industries. A number of pharmacists have also started their
own entrepreneurship and have been working as
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
7
administrator such as Managing Director (MD), Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the industries. The major
areas of pharmaceutical industries where the graduate
pharmacists have been serving include: research and
development, production, quality control and quality
assurance, inventory control, product management,
pharmaceutical marketing and sales, and regulatory
affairs.
Pharmacists in government hospitals
After almost 4 decades of independence, the health
service management in the government sector of
Bangladesh is still very poor. Only the physicians and
nurses are working in the hospitals as health care
providers. However, in the developed countries, a health
care provider team consists of a physician, a pharmacist
and a nurse. In Bangladesh, no graduate pharmacists are
serving in the government hospitals as health care
providers for proper drugs and diseases management. In
each hospital, there is a pharmacy department that is run
by diploma pharmacists. They just dispense and distribute
the medicines. Due to the poor and incomplete health
management system in Bangladesh, prescription errors are
very common and many patients suffer from severe
complications and even die. There is no clinical
pharmacist in any governmental hospital in Bangladesh
who can study to rationalize the individual dosage
regimen for the patients suffering from either liver or
kidney diseases.
Pharmacists in private hospitals
Recently, a good number of world class private
hospitals have been set up in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Among
them, Apollo Hospital, Square Hospital, United Hospital
and Lab Aid Hospital have gained a very good reputation
due to quality services and excellent health care
management. They have employed several graduate
pharmacists in their out-patients pharmacy departments.
But no pharmacists are working in the in-patient
department for proper monitoring and management of
drugs. At present, about 30-40 pharmacists are working in
private hospitals and retail pharmacy in Bangladesh. It is
notable here that in a tertiary level hospital of a developed
country, usually 40-50 pharmacists work in out-patient, in-
patient, and emergency/ambulatory, and in clinical
departments.
Pharmacists in administrative services
The Directorate General of Drug Administration - a
government organization, under the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare, Govt. of the People's Republic of
Bangladesh, is the licensing and regulatory authority of
drugs and medicines. About 27 graduate pharmacists are
working there as Superintendent of Drug, Assistant
Director and Deputy Director. Actually the personnel who
have sound knowledge about Good Manufacturing
Practice (GMP), cGMP and ICH (International
Conference on Harmonization) guidelines, validation and
quality assurance of pharmaceutical products,
pharmaceutical plant layout, manufacturing and
engineering, etc should be appointed at different levels of
Directorate General of Drug Administration. Due to the
lack of adequate manpower, proper monitoring and
development of the pharmaceutical sector as the country’s
second largest industrial sector is suffering seriously.
Pharmacists in research
In Bangladesh, proper infrastructure has not been
developed for pharmaceutical research in the major
research institutes such as Bangladesh Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), International
Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
(ICDDR’B) etc. Moreover, due to lack of proper initiation
in collaborative research between pharmaceutical
industries and research institutions and academicians,
pharmaceutical research trends have not been developed
like UK, USA or even India. Only 3 pharmacists are
working in BCSIR, few pharmacists are working at the
Drug Testing Laboratories (own by govt.) in Chittagong;
and few are in the Centre for Advanced Research in
Sciences (CARS), a recently established world class
research facility at the University of Dhaka and
Biomedical Research Center, University of Dhaka.
Pharmacists in community pharmacy
The concept and services provided by community
pharmacy in Bangladesh is far different from the
developed countries. Most of the retail and community
pharmacies in Bangladesh are run by the people who have
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
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not even completed the 3-month pharmacy registration
certificate course. Until now, there is lack of proper
government monitoring to upgrade the nature and services
of the retail and community pharmacies. That’s why, sales
of essential and life saving drugs without prescription is a
common practice here in Bangladesh. Very recently, few
graduate pharmacists have started to establish chain
community pharmacy in Bangladesh to provide better
health services to community people. Among these, Quick
Prescription Services (QPS) in Chittagong and Rx Pharma
in Dhaka have initiated their journey as pilot projects.
However, due to lack of financial and governmental
support they are not able to spread their noble concept and
services throughout the country for mass population.
Need of Pharm. D. courses and challenges
For proper drug and disease management and to
improve pharmaceutical care, many developed and
developing countries such as USA, Japan, India, etc have
implemented and upgraded their pharmacy course
curriculum to Pharm. D. (Ahmed and Hassali, 2008;
Jamshed et al., 2007). The Pharm. D. program is more
disease and patient care oriented than that of industrial
aspect. Moreover, in many countries the pharmacists are
authorized to prescribe limited number of drugs. However,
in our country, the pharmacy courses were designed solely
to meet the demand of qualified pharmacists in
pharmaceutical industries. Until now, no initiative has
been undertaken from the respective authorities of the
government to upgrade pharmaceutical education.
Although, very recently, the Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Dhaka took the initiative to upgrade its
pharmacy courses from 4-year undergraduate B. Pharm. to
5-year B. Pharm. course giving limited emphasize on
internship in hospitals and clinics. To generate more
qualified pharmacists for proper pharmaceutical services
in hospitals, our neighboring countries, India and Pakistan
have already implemented Pharm. D. program with
internship in hospitals for the pharmacy students.
Although, PCB regulates the pharmacy courses and
curriculum in both the public and private universities, no
initiative has been taken by this autonomous body of the
government of Bangladesh to upgrade the 4-year B.
Pharm. program to a 5-year Pharm. D. program in all
public and private universities.
The UGC should allocate proper funds to further
develop laboratories of the universities and to promote
hospital and clinical research. The Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare should also take immediate measures to
arrange the internship for the pharmacy graduate students
in tertiary level government hospitals. During internship,
graduate pharmacists may serve as resident pharmacist of
the hospitals. To promote and to encourage the internee
pharmacists in their training and services, efforts should
be taken to give some remuneration to the trainee
pharmacists for the training period.
Conclusion
Bangladesh is a country with about 160 million
people. For proper development of the country, our prime
need is to ensure healthier and educated manpower. A
healthier nation is only possible when everyone should
have equal access to health care providers, and proper and
rational management of drugs and diseases are ensured. A
health care team consisting of physician, pharmacist and
nurse can only ensure the drugs and diseases management
in judicious and rational way. Pharmacists have the
expertise in drug management and dispensing, monitoring
of drug-drug interactions, and clinical research. Moreover,
reschedule of dosage regimen to individual patient can
only ensure the rational prescribing and use of medicines
and this is the prime task of clinical pharmacists. It is
really unfortunate to mention that no pharmacists at
present are doing these jobs, because there is no position
for hospital pharmacists in Bangladesh. Therefore, in
every year huge number of patients are suffering from
different abnormalities and toxicities due to irrational use
of drugs and medicines and even many patients are dying
due to drug intoxications.
There are more than 1600 hospitals in Bangladesh.
Among these more than 650 are government hospitals
which includes specialized hospitals, general hospitals
(tertiary level) and upazilla hospitals (secondary level) etc.
To improve and ensure the total health care system in
those hospitals, government should immediately take
necessary measures to create posts for hospital
pharmacists. To fulfill the demand of health care services
in our country in proper and rational way, government
should appoint pharmacists in all specialized hospitals,
medical college hospitals and district level general
Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2011
ISSN 0301-4606
9
hospitals. In these hospitals, pharmacists can work in both
in-patient and out-patient departments, emergency and
ambulatory services department, and may become
involved in clinical research and drug-drug interaction
monitoring, extemporaneous compounding and
manufacturing department, etc. In a tertiary level hospital,
at least tens of pharmacists are required to provide the
services properly, although, we don’t have any concrete
statistics how many pharmacists do we need to cover the
health services for all the people. Simultaneously, the
concerned authority of the government should update and
revise the present rules and regulations for monitoring the
retail and community pharmacies, so that no one can sale
drugs and medicines without a C-grade registration
certificate. However, 3-year diploma holders or graduate
pharmacists having registration from the PCB should be
employed slowly. Moreover, due emphasis should be
given on regular updating of curriculum of pharmacy and
continuing education program should be implemented to
provide quality education and training to produce qualified
pharmacists.
References
Ahmed, S.I. and Hassali, M.A.A. 2008, The Controversy of
Pharm. D. Degree (letter). Am J Pharm Edu. 72(3), Article
71.
Annual Report (87th), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2007-
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