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Get a dose of Pharma However, this mindset has witnessed a radical change in recent times. The long and arduous path one has to tread for becoming a full-fledged (read specialist) doctor, coupled with the emergence of a vast variety of alternative courses, has made the students as well as parents realise the significance of other medical fields. Among these disciplines, pharmacy has shown a phenomenal growth in the recent past. To gauge the extent to which this sector has grown, sample this: A professor of pharmacy retires after putting in more than three decades of service at a university. Soon after, he is readily absorbed by a pharmacy institute at a salary which is nearly five times than that drawn by him at the time of his superannuation. Be they fresh passouts in the discipline, faculty members or other trained professionals, the field offers a plenty of opportunities for all. No wonder, the number of pharmacy colleges and institutes has grown by leaps and bounds. While there were very few pharmacy institutes and colleges in the region till a few years ago, now there are nearly 20 such institutions in Haryana, 18 in Jaipur alone and 15 in Bhopal. Getting in The field of pharmacy encompasses the manufacture, analysis, testing, packaging, costing, marketing, distribution, quality control, research and development of drugs and cosmetics. There are several study programmes in the discipline, ranging from a two-year diploma course to the four-year B.Pharma and two-year M.Pharma degrees, besides the Ph.D and post-doctoral research and study programmes. Training talk The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), SAS Nagar, is the first national-level pharmaceutical institute set up by the Government of India. It has been declared as an institute of national importance by the Union Government and its proclaimed objective is to be a centre of excellence in advanced studies and research in pharmaceutical sciences. NIPER has been conceived to provide leadership in pharmaceutical sciences and related areas not only within the country, but also to the countries
in South-East Asia, South Asia and Africa. Panjab University, Chandigarh, Delhi University, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Kurukshetra University, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi, Indraprastha University, Delhi, BHU, Varanasi, M.S.University, Udaipur, Rajasthan University, Jaipur, and Dr H.S.Gaur University, Sagar (MP), also offer undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes in the discipline. Admission criteria The admission to these courses is made on the basis of state-level or individual entrance tests, though some institutions admit students on the basis of their merit in the qualifying examination. At the postgraduate level, the candidates having a good GATE score also get preference in admission. This stream requires students with stamina to work for long hours in laboratories as well as in the field. The GATE-qualified candidates pursuing a Master’s course in the discipline get a fellowship of Rs 5,000 per month by the AICTE throughout the degree programme. Course content The professional study programmes in pharmacy can be broadly divided into four categories. These include pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology and pharmacognosy. Pharmaceutics basically comprises the manufacture of drugs and cosmetics. Pharmaceutical chemistry involves the analysis and quality control of pharmaceutical products, in addition to research and development of the same. Pharmacology includes the study of effects and side-effects of the pharmaceutical products. Pharmacognosy refers to the study of drugs derived from natural sources. Thrust areas Industrial pharmacy, drug regulatory affairs, clinical research, international laws on patents and intellectual property rights are fast emerging as the key areas of specialisation in the discipline. “These are the most coveted specializations in this era of gloabalisation and WTO regime,” says Dr Arun Nanda, a senior faculty member at a university, who himself holds an M.Pharma and Ph.D in pharmacy, besides an LL.B degree. Job prospects The field offers a wide range of job opportunities in diverse areas such as drug manufacturing, analysis, research, quality control, costing, packaging, marketing and distribution and so on. Pharmacy professionals are in great demand in drug-manufacturing companies. They can also work as analytical chemists and in government service as drug inspectors, food inspectors or narcotic inspectors and as pharmacists and drug analysts. They can enter the research and development or quality control wings of big pharmaceutical concerns. The options of starting their own manufacturing unit or selling the drugs on wholesale and retail are always there.
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