The dawn of the year 2010 saw a controversy between the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). The PCI has denied recognition to some of the courses conducted by NIPER. Why, because, the latter has not followed the education regulations of PCI, in starting, admitting, and conducting some of its courses. Also many higher educational institutes are starting post graduate courses directly without having corresponding UG courses. The PCI has the mandate to regulate the profession of pharmacy as per the Pharmacy Act enacted by the Parliament of India.
The PCI, constituted under section 3 of the Act, is entitled to prescribe minimum standard of education and to approve courses of study and examinations for the purpose of qualifying for registration as a pharmacist under section 10 and 12 of the Act. At present, the eligible qualifications include D Pharm, B Pharm and Pharm D along with Pharm D (Post Baccalaureate) from approved pharmacy institutions. Naturally it expects certain norms and standards from the institutions which conduct pharmacy related courses.
The NIPER which was started with a great aim of uplifting the pharmacy field is expected to follow the spirit behind such Acts, but alas! It has gone in the opposite direction! It has admitted non-pharmacy graduates in pharmacy post graduate courses. Hence, PCI denied recognition and disputes have arisen. First of all let us decide one important dispute, whether pharmacy is a profession [requiring some ethics, standards and control] or not? Let the learned directors of NIPERs answer this question.
Mistake of NIPER
The big mistake of NIPER is it has given admission to M. Sc. organic chemistry graduates along with B. Pharm, in MS industrial pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical analysis and quality control courses. B. Pharm students are studying a minimum of 24 theory and 18 practical pharmacy subjects during their course. But without studying even a single pharmacy subject, how an M. Sc. is eligible to get admission in a pharmacy post graduate course? If the NIPER says the particular course is not a pharmacy post graduate course, then, why the hell it was started by it? Or why these non-pharmacy graduates demand PCI recognition and jobs in pharmacy colleges and pharmaceutical industries? When denied, why they try to bring pressure via agitations, threat to go to All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Court etc?
Few B Pharm graduates might have been admitted in these MS courses, unfortunately they too has to suffer for selecting a wrong, unrecognized course. The people who were responsible for framing such a course are answerable to these students not the PCI. We could not understand how the learned professors of NIPER expected a non pharmacy graduate to understand advanced lessons of a post graduate pharmacy course without studying its fundamentals? We can challenge that these M. Sc. graduates might not have even heard the word ‘pharmaceutics’ before joining these MS courses.
Similarly when the subject pharmaceutical chemistry is taught to the B Pharm students from the fundamentals and when they are passing a minimum of eight theory and eight practical papers during their 4 years study, why bring in somebody who has not studied even a single paper, into the post graduate course in Pharmaceutical Chemistry? Just because there was nobody to question such courses in the past, scores of institutions are conducting M. Sc. pharmaceutical chemistry throughout India. When these academicians are going to realize it is unnecessary and will lead to dilution of professional standards? When and how we are going to stop these duplicates?
Some may argue that M. Sc students are studying few related subjects like Chemistry of Natural Products and Synthetic Chemistry and hence they have fundamental knowledge and eligibility. If so, can we extend the same logic to other courses? B. Sc. Nursing and B Pharm students are studying scores of subjects present in MBBS course, like Human Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology etc. Shall we give admission to them in M D [Medicine], M S [Surgery] courses along with MBBS students? For God’s sake don’t try to overlap or superimpose courses! Let there be specialists in the chosen field. We think it is the disease, originated and infected from the self financing educational institutions and also the ‘famous’ deemed universities. They are the people, trying to fill the seat at any means. Why the NIPER - a government institute - is following them?
Finally a request to NIPER. If you are really series about doing something good for the pharmacy field, stop these practices forthwith. Don’t stand on false prestige. Admit only pharmacy under graduates in pharmacy post graduate courses. Help the profession to raise its standard and status, not otherwise.
Government of India also should introspect, why such controversies rise in the first place? It is due to loopholes in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act that such non professional elements enter into the profession. Amend the Act as early as possible so as to ensure a profession is practiced by the professional concerned. Many additional qualifications were included when the Act was framed six decades ago, as there was shortage of professionals then, to man the fast growing industry. Now there are hundreds of pharmacy colleges sending out thousands of pharmacy graduates every year and hence there is no need to have those good old provisions in the statute book.
We here by appeal to all concerned: Save the profession to save yourselves! If you choose to ignore, a day may come when your own kith and kin has to use the drugs manufactured or analyzed or distributed by this half-baked pseudo professionals. Be prepared to face the consequences!
(The author is ex. president, Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association, Madurai)