In many countries, clinical pharmacy services have been established firmly, leading to a reduction in the incidence of adverse drug events, medication errors, length of patient's stay in a hospital, overall therapeutic cost, morbidity, and mortality. 1 The core elements of clinical pharmacy services are to promote the use of quality pharmaceutical products and to influence rational prescribing. In many developing countries like Pakistan, the integration of clinical pharmacy in the healthcare system is still in its infancy stage. In accordance with an estimate of World Health Organization, more than half of all the medicines used by patients, are either prescribed or dispensed inappropriately. 1 The role of a clinical pharmacist in a hospital is to ensure rational prescribing, prevent medication errors, and improve therapeutic outcomes. In Pakistan, during the last few years a significant development in the profession of pharmacy has been observed. The expansion is not limited to the delivery of pharmacy-based community and retail services, but has also been observed in its acceptance as a distinct profession. 2 Unlike developed countries, clinical pharmacists in developing regions of the world are still underutilized members of the healthcare team. The role of a clinical pharmacist is not accepted to be important and distinct in the clinical setup of Pakistani healthcare system; with majority of the hospitals functioning without a clinical pharmacist. Clinical pharmacy was introduced in the curriculum of Pharm. D, in 2004, by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The course with insufficient credit hours and no clinical exposure has limited efficacy in equipping students with sufficient knowledge and experience necessary to tackle daily cases posed in the clinical setup. The syllabus has been revised twice, but the aspect of lack of clinical exposure has still not been addressed. The aim of this paper is to address the issues hindering the growth of clinical pharmacists in Pakistan in an endeavor to achieve due attention of health governing authorities and to provide recom- mendations for its betterment. In developed countries, the importance of the profession of pharmacy as a healthcare provider has long been recognized, but it is still underutilized in most developing countries. A significant role in delivery of pharmaceutical care services is undertaken by pharmacists in most developed countries. Additionally, it is a common belief that pharmacists can be significantly useful in provision of primary healthcare, especially in developing regions of the world. The role of a clinical pharmacist in Pakistan is limited and has not been recognized by both the healthcare system and the general public. The foremost reason for this lack of recognition is the limited interaction of pharmacists with both the hospital setup and public. This lack also stems from the limited job opportunities available in clinical setup. 3 Thus, there is a shortage of clinical pharmacists in hospitals, resulting in limited interaction with both the healthcare providers and patients. Consequently, the recognition and evolution of clinical pharmacy falters. 4 In Pakistan, the pharmacy education curriculum has a predominant focus on preparing pharmacists with expertise for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and limited expertise on pharmacology and thera- peutics. 3 Thus, the emphasis of the current curriculum is mainly on chemistry and pharmaceutics as opposed to Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan 2018, Vol. 28 (3): 229-232 229 COMMENTARY Bridging the Gap for Clinical Pharmacist in Developing Countries like Pakistan Ali Ahmed, Maria Tanveer, Adeel Siddiqui and Gul Majid Khan ABSTRACT Clinical pharmacists should be increasingly important members of the healthcare team in developing countries such as Pakistan. Survey of literature was conducted to identify the determinants of clinical pharmacy in Pakistan. Lack of trained human capital, shortage of resources, patient overburden, inefficient pharmacy education curriculum, and limited job opportunities are some of the determinants of clinical pharmacy profession in developing countries. The underutilization of clinical pharmacists paves the way for an increased incidence of medication errors, adverse drug events, irrational prescribing, and suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. Integration mapping is an important framework for providing guidelines in protocol planning for improvement in a profession. A step by step change is required to promote the growth of clinical pharmacy profession in Pakistan. Key Words: Clinical pharmacy. Pakistan. Pharmacy practice. Mapping. Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Correspondence: Dr. Ali Ahmed, Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. E-mail: aliahmed@bs.qau.edu.pk Received: October 13, 2017; Accepted: November 30, 2017.