LEGAL MEASURES ON THE PHARMACEUTICAL PROFESSION AND THE ACCESS INTO THE ASIAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (AEC)

Abstract

The Law of Healthcare Professionals in Thailand may need to be updated to reflect and respond to the policy of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), established by the 10 ASEAN countries that allow free flow of goods, services, investment, and skilled labor. Following the policy of the AEC, the 10 ASEAN countries, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam, have jointly agreed to accept in the qualified profession of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ASEAN MRA). The ASEAN MRA provides framework to support the liberalizing and facilitating trade in service. Presently it targets professionals/skilled workers in seven fields, including engineering, architecture, surveying, medical professions, dental practice, nursing and accountancy. The pharmacy profession, written in the Law of Healthcare Professionals in 1937 and transferred to the Pharmacy Act in 1994, as amended to date in 2015, is one of the regulated medical professions that will be affected by this common AEC policy. The pharmacy profession is not listed in MRA but it is subject to the agreement of the ASEAN community because the practice in each member country follows different regimes and regulations. For example, there are different programs in the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) and the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) in each country. In order to achieve the issue of pharmacy professions, the agreement on the mutual recognition of the professional qualifications in ASEAN may need to be considered in detail to ensure the same standard, taking into account the national requirement of the performances of pharmacists, and the national strategy on manpower and economic growth.