Barriers to effective pharmacy practice in low- and middle-income countries

Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar,1 Shane Scahill2 1School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland; 2School of Management, College of Business, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand Abstract: The role of the pharmacist within health care systems is undergoing significant development with the continual introduction of new medicine entities, the emergence of new resistant microbes, and changes in the delivery of health services. In developed countries, pharmacists are playing a key role in promoting safe and effective use of medicines; however, in the majority of low- and middle-income countries, they still have to reach their true potential. This article set out to explore the barriers to effective practice in low- and middle-income countries, and concluded that a) health systems; b) level and quality of services provided by community pharmacies; and c) educational and professional factors are the three main barriers. Keywords: low- and middle-income countries, pharmacy education, pharmacy practice, barrier