Pharmacists want all sanctioned posts in Sindh hospitals filled.

HYDERABAD -- Office-bearers of the Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA) provincial chapter have urged the Sindh governor to fill all the vacant seats of pharmacists in government hospitals and create 914 more sanctioned seats as pharmacists' requirement in the provincial public sector hospitals, considering the fact that pharmacists play a crucial role in the management of medicines' doses for patients.

Addressing a press conference at the local press club here on Sunday, PPA leaders said that only 157 pharmacists were presently working in Sindh government hospitals against the sanctioned posts of 366. They also staged a protest demonstration outside the local club.

In fact 1,280 posts, in all, were needed, considering the number of basic health units (BHUs) and rural health centres (RHCs) in Sindh, they said, adding that 914 posts were to be created in hospitals. Those who spoke at the press conference included Dr Shahzad Hussain Qureshi, Dr Ali Abbas, Dr Ali Qureshi, Dr Ahsan Memon and others.

As per job description of a pharmacist, they said, he was entirely responsible for formulation of medicines, preservation and efficacy while doctors only prescribed drugs. They said successive governments had not given serious attention to pharmacists, who held an important position in health sector the world over.

Even within Pakistan, they explained, there was world of difference as in Punjab one pharmacist was posted for every 50 beds and one drug inspector at the taluka level as medicines could not be sold without pharmacists, but in Sindh there was no drug inspector in five districts and inexperienced people...