Fill posts of pharmacist as per OPD load: Council

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Solan, July 27

Calling for fresh norms for filling the posts of pharmacist in government hospitals across the country, the Himachal Pradesh Pharmacy Officers’ Association has said pharmacists should be hired on the basis of the outdoor patient department (OPD) load instead of the prevalent bed-based norm of the Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS).

The demand was raised at a meeting of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) held at Nalagarh last evening, where representatives from various states participated.

PCI president Dr Montu Kumar Patel chaired the meeting. The Himachal Pradesh State Pharmacy Council’s president and Pharmacy Officers’ Association state general secretary thanked Dr Patel for ushering in reforms in the profession.

The association also apprised the delegates of the emerging problems in pharmacy education and practices under way in the government and non- government health sectors.

Dr Patel addressed the PCI representatives from different states and highlighted important reforms like exit exam for D Pharmacy, passing various gazettes, use of modern technology in pharmacy, gazette for pharmacist promotion and career advancement in government-non-government health sector across the country.

Additionally, the implementation of the UGC norms in recruitment of faculty for institutes imparting pharmaceutical education was also taken up. HP Hospital Pharmacy Officers’ Association general secretary Kushal Singh demanded that Schedule K amendment of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Rules 1945 should be repealed. He demanded the implementation of the rule “where there is a medicine there is a pharmacist”. This would help avoid drug resistance, rational use of medicine and better execution of all the health programmes, observed Singh.

Uniform job profile, promotion avenues, pay-scale and separate pharmacy directorate in the Health Department for pharmacists of all states was also demanded to avoid exploitation.

State organisation secretary Pravesh Kumar also raised the demand of making mandatory at least six-month hospital training and exit exam for both diploma and degree holder pharmacy students before being granted registration in the Pharmacy Council.

It was observed that steps should be taken to improve the condition of pharmacists in apex health institutions like medical colleges, PGI and AIIMS.

The Pharmacy Council of India should also make an effort to give the right to prescribe medicines to degree holder clinical pharmacists on the lines of developed countries, so that the dream to make India ‘Pharmacy of the World’ is realised, stressed the delegates.

Pharmacy Council of Himachal Pradesh president Gopal Krishan Sharma lauded the efforts of Dr Montu Patel for improving the pharmacy sector.

Kushal Singh, general secretary, HPHPOA, stressed the need for bringing about need-based changes in the pharmacy sector in view of the expanding health sector.