An eminent Pakistani pharmacist and expert Abdul Latif Sheikh has been bestowed with prestigious “Donald E. Francke Medal”, by The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), for making a radical change in the field of clinical pharmacy and for saving thousands of lives using his expertise.
The first Asian and only Pakistani to receive the Donald E Francke Medal is the president of the Pakistan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (PSHP).
He served as World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advisor on medicines, and also worked in African, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern countries, Afghanistan and the United States before shifting to Pakistan, where he developed the clinical pharmacy department at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi.
Working as chief pharmacist of the AKUH, Abdul Latif Sheikh helped the Aga Khan Hospital to gain the prestigious JCI accreditation at that time when no healthcare facility in the country was having the accreditation, said to be a mandatory requirement for an international standard healthcare facility.
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The prestigious award has only been presented to 22 pharmacists so far, mostly these awards were clinched by European and American pharmacists.
Sindh Health Secretary Dr. Fazlullah Pechuho congratulated him on receiving the prestigious award and said it was an honour for the country that one of its leading pharmacists had attained the international award. He also vowed that the government would suggest his name for the highest civil award in the field of medicine and public service.
Thousands of people lost their lives because of medication errors by using wrong or lookalike drugs, which required immediate attention, he said, asking the eminent pharmacist to guide the government in preparing a safe drug delivery system in the healthcare sector. “We would definitely require the services of Mr Sheikh, who has raised the flag of Pakistan in the world.”
Moreover, people from other walks of life, including officials of the Aga Khan University Hospital, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the provincial drug secretariat and the pharmaceutical industry, also applauded Mr. Sheikh for grabbing the medal and expected that he would continue to strive for the betterment of pharmacy services in Pakistan.
