Tanvir Ahmed Rasel: Besides the Garment industry, another name pride and arrogance of Bangladesh is Pharmaceutical Industry. A flock of Pharmacists of Bangladesh are the main shareholder of such golden glory who worked tirelessly day and night for producing safe and effective medicaments to save millions of lives.

Pharmacists` work includes the production and preservation of a drug for a given disease, the amount of the substance, the delivery of accurate information about the drug and the assurance of its correct use and effect, medical application, adverse drug reaction to the drug and so on.

The pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh is moving at an unprecedented pace and efficient manner due to the sincerity and working excellence of Pharmacists. The medicines that are manufactured in the our country has already been able to meet almost 100% demand of the people of the country due to the activities of pharmacists which has not been possible for many developed countries of the world.

Bangladesh is gradually reaching its peak in exporting pharmaceutical products. Currently more than 200 domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies are working in Bangladesh. At present, Bangladesh is exporting medicines almost in 160 countries of the world. Already honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced the pharmaceutical product as the product of the year for because of such a jealous success of the pharmaceutical industry. Obviously  the Pharmacists are the worthy for getting the credit of such amazing achievement.

 According to another report from the Bangladesh Export Development Bureau (EPB), at present, medicines at price almost Tk 25,000 core are going abroad to meet the needs of the country and this figure of this export is also increasing rapidly. In the last five years, exports to the sector have doubled. The sector is expecting to raise 5 billion by 2023 if the sector is able to keep up with the growth it currently has. Most of such glorious successes are claimed by the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh as well as health care insurer pharmacists.

Those dedicated souls for whom the pharmaceutical industry has become well known as the industry of pride today and Bangladesh has got a new identity in the world. Unfortunately they are the most deprived neglected today. Their contribution is remaining in the dark.
In our country, this specialized subject is offering B.PHARM and M.PHARM degrees in a total of 34 universities, including the prestigious 12 public universities like Dhaka University, Jahangir Nagar University, Chittagong University, Comilla University and so on. The brilliant students of our country decide to study this subject and build their career with sky touching dreams. But their dreams are reaming only dreams as there is no such scope to turn their intelligence into public health service.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in order to ensure improved health care service, pharmacists should employ 55 percent in community pharmacy, 30 percent in hospital pharmacy, 5 percent in manufacturing, 5 percent in government agencies and 5 percent academic institutions. But there is no graduate pharmacy in the community or hospital pharmacy in Bangladesh. In the developed countries, doctors are involved in diagnosis of disease, and the pharmacists provide the drugs based on the disease and the degree of the disease. But the scenery of Bangladesh is totally different and discriminatory that is opposing to ensure better medical care. From diagnosis to drug prescription, doctors do everything in our country. As a result, due to the small number of doctors, it is not possible to provide proper and necessary health care to the large population.

Due to lack of community and hospital pharmacy, about 85% pharmacists have to engage in the manufacturing sector as a workplace. Better medical care needs the service from disciplinary team where doctors, pharmacists, medical technologists and nurses work hand in hand. So to materialize the Golden Bengal dream of Bangabandhu and to prevent the brain drain, pharmacists must be evaluated. It is crucially needed to fully functional the hospital pharmacy service appointing the pharmacist through BCS examination in important posts of health services. If government can do so, a new horizon of health care system in Bangladesh will be explored and basic health care need of people in general will be mitigated.

Author: Tanvir Ahmed Rasel is the Student of Department Of Pharmacy and AGS, Comilla University Pharmacy Society, Comilla University.