Pharmacy practices in Bangladesh

Md. Jakaria
Pharmacy is a branch of health science and the pharmacists are the people who are involved in the invention of new drugs, development of the existing one, serve the community with latest information regarding drug and also take part in planning and monitoring the treatment programme along with physician. As a profession it was recognized in Bangladesh after the promulgation of Bangladesh Pharmacy Ordinance-1976. Although, the pharmacy education started its journey by the hand of the Department of Pharmacy, Dhaka University in 1964. Still now almost seven government universities and twenty two private universities offer Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honors) degree. Among these universities only 2-3 universities offers five year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honors) professional degree but other remaining universities offers four year bachelor degree.
Major work field for pharmacist in hospital as hospital pharmacist, in clinic as clinical pharmacist and community pharmacist in a specific community. Industrial pharmacy practices are only a work field for pharmacist. In Bangladesh perspective for a new pharmacy graduate, industrial pharmacy practices are major option to build up his career, as a result proper health services are not maintained and job crisis for a graduated pharmacist day by day increases.
In real conditions of Bangladesh pharmacy practice areas for graduate pharmacist is limited in industry i.e., industrial pharmacy practices or in the marketing sections. A few numbers of pharmacists are involved in administrative positions. In the area of industry or marketing sections graduate pharmacists involved in production, research & development, quality control, quality assurance and product marketing, etc. But graduate from other disciplines like biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, chemistry can also work in these sections. The educational system of pharmacy is one of the major reasons for bounded pharmacy practices because the courses included in bachelor degree principally emphasize on industrial practices.
The other field of pharmacy practices like hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy or community pharmacy not established in Bangladesh. Some private hospitals like Apollo hospital, Square hospital, United hospital and Gastro liver hospital etc. are established only in one sector i.e., hospital pharmacy department where graduate pharmacist worked in 24 hours successfully and it was proved by the local survey that their quality of treatment and services to the patient is quite appreciable.  But we do not see the regulatory authority of Bangladesh to take any step to establish such scope like hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy or community pharmacy practices in hospital and clinic for the graduate pharmacist. In these areas of hospital some B-grade or C-grade pharmacist are working having few months’ diploma
information.
In the recent year the number of hospital in Bangaldesh is more than 2000 (In 2006 it was 1683, 678 were government hospitals and 1005 were non-govern mental). In that case if I consider a simple statistics, that is in every hospital 10 gradute pharmacists are involved (in Apollo hospital it is 24) in patient care  system so required number of pharmacists will be 16830.
If we see some health developed country in the world their job sites for graduate  pharmacist are not limited in industrial pharmacy practices and major portion of pharmacist are involved in community, hospital and clinical pharmacy services. Pharmacy educational systems have to play on these pharmacy practices because they have updated their pharmacy education to 5 year pharmacy professional degree (Pharm. D) and this Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D) course mainly focused on patient care services rather than industrial practices.
From my view point, I want to conclude that pharmacists can play a vital role in the health care system through the services of community pharmacy, retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and clinical pharmacy etc. By developing such sections, health facilities will be upgraded e.g., easily, we can prevent medication error and also present job crisis will be solved. To update our pharmacy education to 5 year pharmacy professional degree (Pharm. D) can help to establish these newly job sections not only in our country. This pharmacy professional degree helps to establish career of our pharmacist in developed country like USA, Canada etc. The establishment of strong pharmacy council is essential to run the proper updated pharmacy education.
As a graduate pharmacist, I hope that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, of Bangladesh, Directorate General of Drug Administration and Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh do work together to establish proper pharmacy practice areas, and to upgrades pharmacy education in Bangladesh. These ways will mainly help to upgrade our health care systems and our health facilities will be upgrade as well as developed countries.