South Asian Heritage Month: Sobha Sharma Kandel believes being a Pharmacist is her Dharma

Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month with Pharmacy Business, Sobha Sharma Kandel reveals how her Nepali heritage and early experiences shaped her commitment to innovative pharmacy practices and community health advocacy

“I hope one day there will be a network of Nepali Pharmacists who can share their experiences and provide support to each other,” shares Sobha Sharma Kandel, Co-Founder, CEO, and Superintendent Pharmacist of Neem Tree Health.

As a daughter of Nepali Immigrants who came to the UK in the early 70’s, Sobha grew up witnessing first-hand the struggle her parents went through navigating the complexities of healthcare in this country.

Today as a renowned pharmacist with a profound impact on her community, her contributions reflect her deep understanding of “the challenges and barriers that the South Asian community can face".

Sobha’s early experiences with frequent pharmacy visits due to tonsillitis also triggered a deep fascination with medicines and their impact on improving lives.

"I visited pharmacies often to buy over the counter medication and to collect my prescription for antibiotics. This triggered my fascination with medicines.

“I considered Pharmacy as a career in sixth form, after I had an interesting work experience in the Pharmacy department at Hammersmith Hospital," she recalls.

“During the same time, I also got a job as a counter assistant in my local Boots store on Saturdays, which I enjoyed, especially interacting with the patients.

“I could see the immediate impact that pharmacists had on people’s lives, and I knew this was the career for me,” Sobha shares, noting that her father’s encouragement, a celebrated chef featured in Midlands newspapers for his culinary awards, played a crucial role.

Graduating in 2004 from the School of Pharmacy at University College London (UCL), she completed her pre-registration year with Boots and became a qualified pharmacist in 2005.

Despite being one of the few Nepali pharmacists in the UK at the time, Sobha “overcame this particular challenge by networking and seeking support from the wider South Asian Pharmacist community in the UK who are much more experienced in the Pharmacy sector.”

“Being a minority within a minority is hard, in the beginning of my career I wished I could reach out to Nepali Pharmacists & Pharmacy owners in the UK who I can ask advice from.

Over the years, Sobha has managed to connect to her Nepali roots through her interaction with a few UK based Nepali Pharmacists.

“A lot of the new generation have also qualified here as Pharmacists which makes me so proud and I hope one day there will be a network of Nepali Pharmacists who can share their experiences and provide support to each other,” she hopes.

Committed to reducing health inequalities 

Sobha’s commitment to improving healthcare access is deeply rooted in her personal experiences and cultural background.

Born in the 1980s and raised in London, Sobha takes great pride in her Nepali heritage.

Sobha recalls growing up with her mother’s traditional remedies made from kitchen herbs and spices for minor ailments.

She also heard stories about her maternal grandfather, a priest and Ayurvedic practitioner revered as a village healer.

This rich legacy of holistic healthcare has profoundly shaped Sobha’s own passion for herbal medicine and holistic health approaches.

In Greenwich, where her pharmacies are located, Sobha is acutely aware of the needs of the large Nepali population.

"Nepali is the second most spoken language in this borough after English," she explains.

Her ability to communicate in Nepali and her understanding of the cultural context enable her to offer tailored health-related advice.

Her MSc thesis on medication adherence among the ex-Gurkha elderly population in Greenwich unveiled crucial insights into the challenges of herbal medicine use.

The research found that the medication adherence rates within the elderly ex-Gurkha population were found to be moderate to low, and there was significant concurrent use of herbal medicines, which they sourced from their home country and often did not disclose to their healthcare providers.

This highlighted unique challenges in patient care, emphasising the need for extensive education for healthcare professionals on managing such cases, as it can lead to adverse effects and drug interactions.

According to Sobha, it is not exclusive to Nepali patients but is relevant to all South Asians. 

"This experience underscored the need for healthcare professionals to be educated about herbal remedies and their interactions with conventional drugs," Sobha adds.

Integrating Business Ambition with Cultural Values

Sobha’s entrepreneurial spirit shines through in her establishment of Neem Tree Pharmacy (2009).

Named after the neem tree, known in Ayurveda as "nature’s pharmacy," Sobha sought to blend modern pharmaceutical practices with traditional herbal remedies.

“I wanted to honour my heritage,” she explains.

Her involvement with the charity AFNO (Advocacy for Nepalese Organisation) and initiatives to boost COVID-19 and flu vaccine uptake reflect her commitment to public health.

By creating multilingual resources and participating in health fairs, Sobha continues to exemplify her role as a community champion.

Further reflecting on her cultural heritage, Sobha finds deep connections between her professional responsibilities and personal values.

“I find my cultural identity and my professional responsibilities compatible, as the support network and sense of belonging we have in our South Asian communities is our asset.

“I find it an honour and privilege to use my skills as a pharmacist to give something back to society and this sentiment fits in with my cultural values too.

"We have a rich heritage which ties us all together with the same cultural and historical roots hence there should be ‘unity in our diversity’ and this is our strength.”

"Preserving cultural values and traditions are crucial to maintain a sense of community and continuity between the past, present, and future,” Sobha asserts.

“Cultural values and traditions help to define who we are and our moral compass. I believe that being a Pharmacist is my “Dharma” (true purpose) in life and I follow the concepts of Karma yoga (path of duty & dedication without focusing on the outcome of the results) in my work.

“I find solace in reading the Bhagavad Gita which greatly influences me in my life and work.”

Sobha's reverence for these traditions is evident in her professional ethos and community engagement.

Extending beyond her professional achievements, Sobha actively contributes to reducing health inequalities within the South Asian community.

Her dedication to her work over the years has helped her branch out a total of four pharmacies since 2009.

Having completed an MSc and Independent Prescribing from King's College London, Sobha has been part of the first cohort of NHS Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice, and is currently pursuing a part-time PhD.

She is also a member of the newly formed Female Pharmacy Leader's network.

Her contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic earned her the honour of meeting King Charles at St James’ Palace, and she was recently awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

Meaning of True Success

Looking to the future, Sobha envisions an NHS that integrates holistic care with conventional medicine, where pharmacies play a central role.

"Expanding outreach efforts and incorporating practices like yoga and healthy cooking into social prescribing could greatly benefit the South Asian community," she notes.

For aspiring pharmacists of South Asian heritage, Sobha offers words of wisdom: Believe in yourself, seize opportunities, and embrace setbacks as learning experiences.

“Intelligence coupled with character is the foundation of true success," she advises, quoting Martin Luther King Jr.