Slug: pharmacy-council-bars-14-institutions-pharm-d-admissions
Category: Education
Focus keyphrase: Pharmacy Council Pakistan Pharm-D admissions barred
SEO title: Pharmacy Council Bars 14 Institutes from Pharm-D Admissions
Meta description: The Pharmacy Council of Pakistan has barred 14 universities and colleges from Pharm-D admissions and issued show-cause notices to 29 more.
Tags: pharmacy council of pakistan, pharm-d, admissions, uhs lahore, higher education, academic standards, universities, show-cause notices
Original element: explainer context — the council’s own inspection findings are read as an enforcement case study (a pharmacy building shared with an Eastern Medicine department, labs judged too small, no computer lab or pharmacy library, faculty ruled unqualified), set against our live coverage of the Khyber Teaching Hospital inquiry into medical-education quality.
Pharmacy Council Bars 14 Institutes from Pharm-D Admissions
ISLAMABAD: The Pharmacy Council of Pakistan has barred 14 universities and colleges from admitting students to their Pharm-D programmes and issued show-cause notices to 29 other institutions, bringing the total number of institutions facing action to 43.
The institutions barred from admissions include the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore, Iqra University’s Islamabad campus and Abasyn University. Those served show-cause notices include the University of Sindh, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University, Karachi, Bharghari Institute of Pharmacy, Matli, Bahauddin Zakariya University and Nishtar Medical University.
According to the lists issued by the council, the 14 institutions barred from admissions comprise six in Punjab, seven in Islamabad and one in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The 29 institutions served notices include 22 in Punjab, four in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and three in Sindh.
The Sindh case: what inspectors found
The action against three institutions in Sindh has brought renewed attention to the standard of Pharm-D education in the province and to how closely the programmes are monitored.
The three institutions in Sindh served notices are the University of Sindh, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University and Bharghari Institute of Pharmacy, Matli, district Badin.
The council raised a serious objection to the University of Sindh’s pharmacy building also housing the Department of Eastern Medicine and Surgery. At Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University, it noted that the pharmacy laboratories were small and that other programmes were being run in the building designated for Pharm-D. The council also pointed to the absence of a computer laboratory and a pharmacy library.
The PCP expressed a lack of confidence in the faculty at Bharghari Institute of Pharmacy and directed the institution to appoint qualified and professionally competent teachers without delay.
What the action means for students
The bar applies to new admissions, not to students already enrolled, who typically continue their studies while the institution addresses the council’s objections. For applicants, the message is to check the council’s accredited list before paying fees: a Pharm-D degree from an institution barred by the PCP is the kind of qualification that can create problems at the licensing stage.
The crackdown is part of a wider push for standards in medical education that Feature Pakistan has been tracking. Earlier this month, an inquiry at Khyber Teaching Hospital found a gap of 135,000 tests and a monthly loss of Rs7 million, while the health system continues to deal with cases ranging from a suspected rabies death in Karachi to an mpox case in a 40-day-old infant, reminders of why qualified pharmacists and properly inspected institutions matter to public health.
The council’s action against three institutions in Sindh has raised questions about the monitoring of Pharm-D programmes and the enforcement of academic standards, and whether the inspection regime reaches every classroom before students do.
Frequently asked questions
Which institutions are barred from Pharm-D admissions?
14 universities and colleges, including the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore, Iqra University’s Islamabad campus and Abasyn University. Six are in Punjab, seven in Islamabad and one in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
What about the 29 institutions served show-cause notices?
They include the University of Sindh, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Dewan University, Bharghari Institute of Pharmacy Matli, Bahauddin Zakariya University and Nishtar Medical University. They must respond to the council’s objections over faculty, labs and facilities.
Does this affect currently enrolled students?
The bar targets new admissions. Enrolled students generally continue while institutions answer the show-cause notices, but applicants should confirm the institution’s accredited status with the Pharmacy Council before applying.
*Source: ProPakistani, October 22, 2026*
