Background: Community pharmacies have the potential to provide accessible, patient-centred pharmaceutical care and contribute substantially to primary healthcare. However, the development of community pharmacy practice in Pakistan remains constrained by regulatory, operational, economic, and societal challenges. This study aimed to explore the barriers affecting community pharmacy services in Karachi, Pakistan, from the perspectives of practicing community pharmacists.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using structured online interviews within focus group discussions. Three focus groups comprising managerial, senior, and junior community pharmacists were selected through selective sampling. A total of 18 community pharmacists, with at least one year of professional experience in Karachi, participated in the study. Interviews consisted of eight open-ended questions and were conducted through Zoom, with each session lasting approximately 40–50 minutes. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns and perspectives.
Results: Four major themes emerged from the analysis: (1) regulatory challenges and medication availability; (2) public perception, patient interaction, and financial sustainability; (3) internal challenges and career attraction; and (4) pharmaceutical industry collaboration and the future of community pharmacy. Participants reported inadequate public awareness of pharmacists’ professional roles, limited trust in pharmacist-led counselling, resistance to generic medicines, medication shortages, supply-chain limitations, and competition from inadequately regulated medical stores. Polypharmacy, inappropriate dosing and prescription-related problems were also identified as challenges to effective patient care. Internally, staffing shortages, long working hours, limited remuneration, inadequate training opportunities, and restricted career progression reduced the attractiveness of community pharmacy practice. Participants further identified limited collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and community pharmacies as an additional barrier.
Conclusion: Community pharmacy practice in Karachi faces interconnected regulatory, supply-chain, societal, financial, workforce, and professional challenges that limit the delivery of comprehensive patient-centred pharmaceutical care. Strengthening regulatory enforcement, improving medicine supply chains, promoting generic prescribing, increasing public awareness of pharmacists’ roles, investing in pharmacist training and workforce retention, and developing stronger collaboration between pharmaceutical industry stakeholders and community pharmacies may support the development of sustainable community pharmacy services in Pakistan. Further research should evaluate the impact of proposed interventions on patient outcomes and pharmacist satisfaction.