Nepal Pharmacy Council Reports Discrepancy Between Registered Pharmacists and Operating Pharmacies
Summary
Nepal has 8,563 registered pharmacists and 17,692 pharmacy assistants, but far more drug vendors and operating pharmacies, raising concerns over weak regulation and licensing gaps. The Nepal Pharmacy Council and the Department of Drug Management are moving to digitize records, verify certificates online, and tighten oversight of pharmacies and drug manufacturers.
Key Points
- The Nepal Pharmacy Council says Nepal has 8,563 pharmacists and 17,692 pharmacy assistants, far fewer than the number of operating pharmacies and drug vendors.
- Only 15,034 of 33,299 registered drug vendors have renewed their licenses, and 84 drug manufacturers are operating while only 55 have national good practice certificates.
- Stakeholders say old laws, unclear terms of reference, and weak monitoring have allowed license renting, duplicate licenses, and unregistered pharmacies to continue.
- The council and the Department of Drug Management are digitizing records, verifying certificates online, and urging pharmacists to provide services personally and the public to seek registered personnel only.
