Medicine Access And Pharmacy Care In Mining Regions: Expanding The Role Of Community Pharmacists

Community pharmacy; Mining health; Rural pharmacy; Telepharmacy; Pharmaceutical services; Occupational health.

1MOHD IMRAN,
Center for Health Research, Northern Border
University, Arar 73213, Saudi Arabia.
(E-mail: [email protected];
ORCID:0000-0002-6064-1040)

2GULAM SAIDUNNISA BEGUM,
Department of Biochemistry, National University
of Science and Technology, College of Medicine
and Health Sciences, Sohar campus, Oman.
(E-mail: [email protected];
ORCID:0000-0002-2153-7654)

3AMIRTHALINGAM SASIKALA DEVI,
Family Medicine Department, School of
Medicine, IMU University, Clinical Campus,
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
(E-mail: [email protected];
ORCID:0000-0002-9004-5573)

4ZIA UR REHMAN,
Health Research Centre, Jazan University, P.O.
Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
(E-mail: [email protected];
ORCID: 00000002-6540-7966)

5MOHAMMAD TAUSEEF,
Foundational Sciences Discipline, Covenant
HealthCare College of Medicine, Central
Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859,
United States.
(E-mail: [email protected];
ORCID: 00090003-3053-7634)

6*ABIDA KHAN,
Center for Health Research, Northern Border
University, Arar 73213, Saudi Arabia.
(E-mail: [email protected];
ORCID:0000-0001-6186-461X)

Received:11-05-2026
Revised:16-06-2026
Accepted:20-06-2026

European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry (2026) 34(7s), 82–91

Medicine Access And Pharmacy Care In Mining Regions: Expanding The Role Of Community Pharmacists

Mining communities are exposed to increased health risks, including noncommunicable diseases, as well as occupational and infectious diseases. This study uniquely explores the connection between occupational, infectious, environmental, and socioeconomic health risks and how pharmacists can play a key role in mitigating them. The role of community pharmacists is very significant in healthcare coverage, particularly in remote mining areas, because of their accessibility and clinical knowledge. This review aims to synthesize the evidence and propose a framework for pharmacist-led services, including access to medicines, managing chronic and infectious diseases, providing mental health support, integrating telepharmacy and strengthen health system resilience. The barriers that affect the service delivery are discussed, including supply chain disruption, workforce shortage, regulatory issues, and socioeconomic issues. Opportunities exist to further enhance pharmacist involvement in policy, digital health technologies, and workforce development. Pharmacist-led interventions can contribute to better access to essential medicines, improved disease management and reinforce local health systems. The findings also indicate the future research, policy, and innovative solutions for increasing the scope and scale of pharmaceutical care in underserved mining areas.

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