The Indian Pharmacists Association (IPhA), a new organisation for the pharmacists, which took off this year with base in Tamil Nadu, is chalking out strategies to expand its activities to all other states and device programmes to educate pharmacists on their role and importance in the health care delivery system.
The organization, formed for all the registered pharmacists from all the segments of the pharmaceutical industry, will soon start Continuous Education Programs (CEP) for pharmacists to improve their knowledge base.
The organisation envisages representing pharmacists and profession of pharmacy with the intention of improving the professional standards and quality of living standards of the pharmacists.
“The association with over 1,100 members focuses its activities at present in Tamil Nadu. We are planning to enrol members from other states from February 2006,” said G. Palani, General Secretary, Indian Pharmacists Association. He said the association has already started operations in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat etc. and will soon start functioning in Himachal Pradesh.
The organisation looks forward to develop the organisation as a national platform for pharmacists from every field within six to nine months, according to the organisers. An IPhA office bearers meeting will be conducted in January at Chennai to decide the future course of action.
At present, the pharmacists face many issues, mainly resulting from the adverse policies of the government. About 20,000 students come out with the Diploma in Pharmacy certificate every year, alone from Tamil Nadu, apart from 5,000 new BPharm degree holders every year. Most of these professionals are finding it difficult to get jobs, he noted.
He noted that the pharmacists are not regarded as health professionals and are being graded as para medical professionals. While the number of unemployed professionals is increasing, many of the hospitals are keeping the post of pharmacist vacant. Numerous posts of drug inspectors, director of drug control, joint director of medical education (pharmacy) and teachers in government pharmacy colleges are remaining vacant in various states.
Most of the professionals working in private retail outlets do not get the minimum wages fixed by the government. The organization aims to pressurize the central government to make necessary amendments in the Pharmacy Act and Drugs and Cosmetics Act to get pharmacy profession a legal status to the pharmacists. Another idea of the association is to pressurise the Government to allow supplementary prescription rights for registered pharmacists as followed in the US and UK.
Other aims of the association include protecting pharmacists from foreign investment in drug trade, helping pharmacists to develop state of the art pharmacies, imparting information to pharmacists on new drugs and ADRs and need for rational use of drugs, need to maintain an effective pharmacy patient care system in the country etc.
As the first step to influence on these areas, the association will only focus on educating the pharmacists about their role in the health care system and the status of their counterparts in western countries, told association leaders.