1. We may shout from rooftops that we are professionals, like doctors, architects or lawyers, but we must also admit that the society still considers our retail or hospital pharmacists as traders and compounders. Therefore, we must launch a sustained stress relation programme to focus the role of the pharmacist as a vial link between a doctor and the patient and also to the society. Only words or speeches are not enough for creating this new image for a pharmacist. What is needed is action. This could be achieved by better interaction with various groups of the people, participation in their social programmes and also organising blood-donation and eye-donation programmes and such other social activities as well as counseling the patient. Both, PCI and State Councils should take up this activity on a priority basis.
2 Diploma in pharmacy courses should not be discontinued ascontemplated but they should be re-structured and should be given a new look, weeding out non-essential topics and giving more thrust on topics, which would serve the pharmacist well in future. There should be specialization after the first year level, where a student gets thorough grounding in basic subjects. Presently less than 1% of Degree holders join retail-hospital pharmacists.
3 There should be separate representation for hospital
Pharmacists and teachers in Diploma colleges, both, in Central and State Councils to make it more representative.
Pharmacists and teachers in Diploma colleges, both, in Central and State Councils to make it more representative.
4 The pharmacy Act, 1948 requires that a prescription be
dispensed by a regd. Pharmacist only, whereas the Drugs and Cosmetics rules require that this activity could be carried out under the supervision of a Registered Pharmacist. This anomaly in the two legislations on the same requirement needs to be remedied immediately.
dispensed by a regd. Pharmacist only, whereas the Drugs and Cosmetics rules require that this activity could be carried out under the supervision of a Registered Pharmacist. This anomaly in the two legislations on the same requirement needs to be remedied immediately.
5 PCI & State councils should impress on government that the
owner of a retail pharmacy must be a registered pharmacist. A provision on these lines is necessary in the drugs and cosmetics rules. Such a provision existed in Goa before it formed a part of India.
owner of a retail pharmacy must be a registered pharmacist. A provision on these lines is necessary in the drugs and cosmetics rules. Such a provision existed in Goa before it formed a part of India.
6 Pharmacy Education, both at Diploma and Degree level
Should be treated as a separate professional qualification and should no be equated with other Engineering’s qualifications, and should not be clubbed with AICTE. PCI should be the sole authority to decide on the syllabi and course-contents. The present arrangements give the profession of pharmacy and PCI a secondary role and position.
Should be treated as a separate professional qualification and should no be equated with other Engineering’s qualifications, and should not be clubbed with AICTE. PCI should be the sole authority to decide on the syllabi and course-contents. The present arrangements give the profession of pharmacy and PCI a secondary role and position.
7 There should be more interaction between the central and state councils and all programmes workshops etc. sponsored by PCI should only be through the state councils. It is not proper that the PCI should sponsor such programmes in collaboration with other educational or professional institutions directly, since, a state council exists and is the right authority to get such programmes organized.
There could be many more suggestions, which I may not have been able
to cover, but, have tried to take a comprehensive view of the entire matter so that a profession of the pharmacy gets a respectable position, not only in health services of the country but also in hearts of the people.
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