Islamabad: Senior health policymakers and regulators on Tuesday urged pharmacists across Pakistan to urgently upgrade their skills and knowledge, warning that without trained and competent pharmacists, patient care will not be possible in the coming years as medicine rapidly moves into advanced and personalised therapies.
They said the role of pharmacists has expanded far beyond traditional dispensing and now spans at least 18 disciplines of medical sciences, including stem cell therapies, gene therapies, personalised medicines, oncology care, pharmacogenomics, clinical trials, regulatory sciences, public health pharmacy, vaccine management, antimicrobial stewardship and digital health technologies.
The speakers were addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected executive body of the Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA) Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan chapter, held at a local hotel.
Vice Chancellor Health Services Academy (HSA) Prof. Shahzad Ali Khan said artificial intelligence would make several health specialties obsolete in the coming years, but stressed that pharmacy would remain one of the most relevant professions because of its direct interaction with patients and medicines.
“At a time when personalised therapies are being developed for individual patients, the role of pharmacists becomes central to patient safety and treatment outcomes,” he said, urging pharmacists to move beyond conventional roles, learn new skills and actively engage in public health pharmacy.
Prof. Shahzad Ali Khan also announced that the Health Services Academy was in the process of establishing one of the country’s leading schools of pharmacy within the next few months to help build a future-ready pharmaceutical workforce.
Chief Executive Officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Dr. Obaidullah Malik called for stronger collaboration between healthcare professions, including pharmacists, physicians, nurses and the technical workforce, to improve patient care and medicine safety in the country.
He said pharmacists must play a stronger role in shaping health policies, drug regulation, pharmacovigilance and rational use of medicines, and urged the newly elected PPA leadership to focus on professional development so that policymakers are compelled to include pharmacists’ expert input in decision-making.
Dr. Malik said the absence of pharmacists from key health policy forums had weakened medicines governance and patient safety, adding that capacity building was essential for the profession to claim its rightful space.
Chief Guest Dr. Abid Nisar Ansar Abdali, Chairman Health Commission Azad Jammu and Kashmir, said healthcare systems globally were recognising pharmacists as integral members of clinical and public health teams, and Pakistan could no longer afford to underutilise this expertise.
He said trained pharmacists were essential for tackling emerging challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, unsafe medicine use, counterfeit drugs and rising cancer and chronic disease burdens.
Speakers at the ceremony also paid tribute to senior pharmacist Sardar Shabbir Ahmed, Founder of Rising Pharmacists Pakistan, describing him as a key figure and mentor who played a critical role in making the pharmacy profession visible and relevant in northern Pakistan through sustained advocacy, training initiatives and professional mobilisation.
Earlier, the newly elected cabinet of the PPA Islamabad, AJK and GB chapter took oath following the association’s elections held in December 2025, in which the Rising Pharmacists Group secured a decisive mandate.
Mr. Khaqan Babar was sworn in as President, with Mr. Azizullah Khan as General Secretary. Other office bearers include Rashid Majeed as Senior Vice President, Vice Presidents Dr. Wajid Ahmad, Ghayour Ahmed, Dr. Mahvash Ansari, Gulzaib Khan and Dr. Waseem Ali Tikka, Mr. M. Nadeem Khan as Finance Secretary, and Dr. Usman Abid as Press Secretary.
Addressing the gathering, PPA President Khaqan Babar said the association would prioritise policy advocacy, professional training and recognition of pharmacists as essential healthcare providers.
He said pharmacists must equip themselves with modern knowledge and skills to remain relevant in an era of rapidly evolving therapies, adding that without professional upgradation, the profession would continue to be sidelined in national health policy discussions.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials from regulatory bodies, academia and the private sector, including CEO Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority Zaheem Zia and Chairman D. Watson Group Zafar Bakhtawari.
A key highlight of the event was the signing of memoranda of understanding between PPA and several healthcare and pharmaceutical organisations to expand training and professional exposure for pharmacists.
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