The Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP) has prohibited 14 universities and colleges from enrolling students into Pharm-D programmes. A total of 43 institutions are currently facing regulatory action by the PCP.
The council issued show-cause notices to 29 additional institutions while banning the remaining 14. Among the banned entities are the University of Health Sciences in Lahore, Iqra University’s Islamabad campus, and Abasyn University.
Geographically, the 14 barred schools include seven in Islamabad, six in Punjab, and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The 29 institutions receiving notices are distributed across 22 in Punjab, four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and three in Sindh.
The University of Sindh, Bahauddin Zakariya University, and Nishtar Medical University were all served with show-cause notices. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University in Karachi and Bharghari Institute of Pharmacy in Matli also received notices.
The PCP noted that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University lacks a pharmacy library and a computer laboratory. Small pharmacy laboratories at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University are insufficient, as the building intended for Pharm-D is currently hosting other programmes.
The University of Sindh's pharmacy building currently houses the Department of Eastern Medicine and Surgery. Regarding the Bharghari Institute of Pharmacy, the PCP expressed a lack of confidence in the faculty and ordered the institute to appoint qualified teachers immediately.
