Young Pharmacists Community Pakistan held a briefing at the Peshawar Press Club to highlight what they described as persistent neglect of pharmacists within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s health system. The group warned that the absence of pharmacists is undermining patient safety across public hospitals and clinics in the province.
Representatives said KP pharmacists are being excluded from policy implementation, recruitment and decision-making, despite being essential to safe medication management. They tied the vacuum of pharmacy services to an increase in medication errors, the circulation of counterfeit and substandard medicines and a rising threat of antimicrobial resistance in hospital settings.
The speakers pointed to consequences that include irrational drug use, poor drug storage, lack of therapeutic monitoring and misuse of antibiotics, arguing these problems directly stem from sidelining pharmacy professionals. The Young Pharmacists Community Pakistan asked the Health Department who will be held accountable for mounting public health risks if pharmacist roles remain unfilled.
The organisation also noted that while the Health Department routinely announces recruitment drives, not a single post for pharmacists has been included, which they called a clear policy failure. KP pharmacists stressed that without proper pharmacy staffing, hospitals cannot deliver safe and effective care to patients.
Young Pharmacists Community Pakistan reminded officials that the Pharmacy Services Policy was approved in a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet meeting in October 2025 following sustained advocacy by the group. They said five to six months after approval no meaningful steps have been taken to implement the policy or to create sanctioned pharmacist positions in public sector hospitals.
The group issued a one-month ultimatum to the provincial government and the Health Department to begin implementation of the Pharmacy Services Policy and to announce immediate recruitment of pharmacists. They warned that if practical action is not taken within this timeframe, pharmacists across the province will be compelled to organise strong, province-wide protests to press for their demands.
