The Egyptian pharmacist profession is facing significant challenges due to a saturated job market. With approximately 370,000 pharmacists and 67,000 pharmacies in the country, the sector is struggling to absorb the growing number of graduates. According to Dr. Mohamed El-Sheikh, former head of the Cairo Pharmacists' Syndicate and member of the Senate, the situation necessitates a reevaluation of the number of students accepted into pharmacy colleges.
Dr. El-Sheikh emphasized the importance of general pharmacies as primary healthcare units, particularly in popular areas, villages, and rural communities. Pharmacists interact directly with patients, providing them with medication services. He stressed that improving the economic conditions of these pharmacies is crucial to creating job opportunities for pharmacists and absorbing more graduates.
The pharmacist syndicate had previously warned about the dangers of increasing the number of students accepted into pharmacy colleges. Dr. El-Sheikh noted that the current saturation in the sector confirms the importance of these warnings. He suggested that improving the economics of general pharmacies could help absorb a large number of pharmacists, but highlighted challenges such as eroded capital, high worker and consumer costs, and problems related to selling medications at different prices.
The rise of online medication sales is another challenge facing pharmacists. Dr. El-Sheikh argued that this trend, which operates outside the legal framework, may open the door to the circulation of counterfeit or non-compliant medications. He called for the development of pharmacy curricula to meet future job market needs, including fields such as precision medicine, digital medicine, and biomedical genomics.
Dr. El-Sheikh emphasized the need to think outside the traditional framework of the pharmacy profession. He advocated for introducing artificial intelligence into educational curricula and expanding fields such as clinical pharmacy, which involves rationalizing medication use and adjusting doses. Clinical pharmacy has been in Egypt for years but has not been fully activated, with some hospitals still not ready to implement it.
Clinical pharmacists play a vital role in rationalizing medication use and adjusting doses, which helps reduce healthcare spending. Dr. El-Sheikh called for increased activation of this specialty within the healthcare system. He also suggested opening new job markets for Egyptian pharmacists in African countries, citing existing needs in countries such as Nigeria and Ghana.
Dr. El-Sheikh revealed that he had previously contacted authorities in Nigeria and Ghana, who expressed willingness to receive Egyptian cadres. He cited the experience of Mauritius, which had requests for veterinarians, engineers, and other specialties, but the initiative stalled due to a lack of coordination between concerned parties. The pharmacist syndicate continues to advocate for the interests of its members and explore new opportunities.
Key points
- Egypt's pharmacy sector faces challenges due to a saturated job market, with 370,000 pharmacists and 67,000 pharmacies.
- Improving pharmacy economics and introducing new specialties can help absorb more graduates.
- Online medication sales pose a threat to pharmacists, and regulatory measures are needed to prevent counterfeit medications.
