The Pharmacy Council in Pondicherry is non-functional as the administration of the Union Territory has not appointed a registrar for the Council for the last two years. In the absence of a head for the Council, pharmacy graduates passing out of various pharmacy colleges are unable to register themselves in the Union Territory.
More than 200 B Pharm students, passed out of various colleges in Pondicherry are in a dilemma as their registration is held up indefinitely.
The situation has not only worsened their job prospects in the UT, but also adversely affected their higher studies. As there are no new registered pharmacists are available in the market because of this situation, the traders are finding it difficult to comply with the norms of D&C Act by appointing pharmacists in their shops.
The associations of pharmacy graduates have already complained to the Pondicherry Food and Drug Administration, under whose control the Council is functioning and to the Directorate of Medical Services but no steps have been taken by the authorities to clear the mess, said T Ambalagan, secretary, Pondicherry Registered Pharmacists Association.
"We have been complaining to the authorities for the last some years to find a solution to this problem. It is the duty of the FDA to take initiative. There are over 200 unregistered pharmacists in the state. We are given a temporary certificate for getting eligible for higher studies and that also to the B Pharm students only. The worst is the case of Diploma holders, who have completed the course in other states," the secretary of the pharmacy graduates Association said.
When contacted, M Deenadayalan, assistant commissioner of the FDA in Pondicherry, who has been given additional charge to function as the Registrar, said, "The graduates are at liberty to make applications before the Council for registration. We are giving acknowledgement for the applications. With that they can go for higher studies and register with the employment exchange also. It is not a certificate, but acknowledging receipt of their applications."
When asked whether it is sufficient for a pharmacist to run a Pharmacy as per D&C Act, he said it is the duty of the government to constitute the Council. "Till then, since we are giving the acknowledgements and we will let them to run the business in our territory." He admitted that for the last one year the registration has been halted due to many reasons.
According to information received from the FDA and also from registered Pharmacists, there was no election of members to Pharmacy council for the last 35 year. From the current list of about 500 registered pharmacists, 6 persons were now elected to the council. But the council could not be constituted as the Pondicherry government did not nominate the five members required from its part to the council. Out of the prescribed 14 members, three ex-officio members include the Drugs controller, the government analyst and the Director of Medical Services.