Pharmacy Council directed to resolve registration issue of QAU graduates

Students lodge complaint with ombudsman

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz has directed the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP) to decide the matter regarding registration of Pharm-D Graduates of the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) within 60 days.

The Graduated Pharmacy Doctors had lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman, stating therein that they had obtained their degree from QAU in Pharmacy in the year 2016 but were still waiting for registration by the Pharmacy Council without which their degree would be nullified.



The complainant further stated that the Pharmacy Programme had started in the year 2011 and the university had approached the Council for issuance of No Objection Certificate (NoC), but the Council issued NoC to the University in 2013 after a lapse of two years.

The complainant further stated that the Council thereafter conditionally recognised the Pharm-D Programme of the University in the 2018, but the Council has failed to resolve the registration case despite fulfillment of required formalities and the passing of several years. The complainant submitted list of 25 qualified faculty members of Pharmacy Department in support of their argument regarding the merit of the Programme.



A hearing was held to resolve the matter at the Federal Ombudsman office and after a detailed discussion with both the parties, the PCP representative agreed to settle the matter in consultation with the Council and the University.

However, it transpired during the hearing that the students of the said programme who had graduated in the year 2016 were victims of procedural lapses on the part of both public sector organisations, the university and the PCP. The Federal Ombudsman, therefore, directed that the matter be resolved by the PCP. He instructed that the matter should be resolved in consultation with the university within a period of 60 days to prevent and further damage or loss of time to the graduated students.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2018.