Pharmacy practice in Qatar: challenges and opportunities

The State of Qatar is a small oil and gas-rich Gulf country that is experiencing rapid development in health care services, including pharmaceutical services. To date, there is no autonomous professional pharmacy association or society that regulates or promotes the practice of pharmacy in Qatar, and the challenges that face the profession of pharmacy in Qatar mirror the challenges facing the profession in all other Middle Eastern countries. However, a set of initiatives and projects that include pioneering educational initiatives, close alignment of practice with the educational providers, stronger leadership from a National Health Strategy, and the development of pharmacy leadership groups at the practice level all contribute in the fast development of the practice of pharmacy in this country. In this commentary, we provide a snapshot of the pharmaceutical scene in Qatar, and in doing so, we shall discuss the challenges that face the practice, and the main landmarks and initiatives that are destined to move pharmacy forward in Qatar.