LAHORE – Punjab’s Acting Governor and Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, has called for legislation to make clinical pharmacy an essential part of the healthcare system, saying it is the need of the hour to ensure safe, effective, and affordable treatment for the public.
Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the first International Clinical Pharmacy Conference at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Monday, he said clinical pharmacists should not only dispense medicines but also participate in patient care and treatment. They could play a vital role in preventing the misuse of medicines, he added.
The acting governor described Pakistan’s population of 250 million as both a challenge and an opportunity for the healthcare system. He stressed that the recommendations of the conference should be incorporated into policy and academic curricula.
The conference brought together over 400 participants, including experts, policymakers, students and researchers from Pakistan and abroad. On the occasion, UHS and King Saud University, Riyadh, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for collaboration in pharmacy education and research.
UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore said clinical pharmacy was vital for patient safety and improved treatment outcomes. The university, he said, had launched an undergraduate programme in the discipline and would soon introduce courses ranging from PhD to certificate level. He underscored the need for a clear distinction between industrial and clinical pharmacy.
Keynote speakers included Prof Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar of Qatar University, who spoke on the global impact of clinical pharmacy practice research, and Prof Mohsin Kazi of King Saud University, who discussed advances in lipid-based nano drug delivery systems. Dr Tauseef Nauman from Germany’s Otto-von-Guericke University highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
