The 55th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) 2003, the biggest annual event of the pharmacy professionals of the country, got off to a flying start at Sree Ramchandra Medical College & Research Institute here today. The theme of the Congress is “Pharmacy, Medicine Management and the National Health Policy”.

Thousands of delegates from within and outside the country have gathered at Chennai to attend the three-day Congress. Thalavai Sundaram, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of Tamil Nadu inaugurated the event.

Addressing delegates at the inaugural function, the minister called for concrete suggestions from among the scientific community to help provide effective good quality medicines at affordable prices for the benefit of society at large. He highlighted the achievements made by the pharmaceutical industry of the state and claimed that the pharma exports from the state account for 25 per cent of the total exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals from the country.

The minister was highly appreciative of the commendable job being carried out by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Organisation. “The corporation serves as central clearinghouse for procurement, storage, and distribution of drugs and has proved successful in facilitating the distribution of quality drugs to all the health institutions in the state. Now TNMSC is a model for the whole country for the modern drug procurement system and offers consultancy services to many states for establishing drug procurement system,” he informed.

The minister felt that the state is a forerunner in the country with respect to purchase of medicines to the hospitals. “The availability of drugs for the distribution to the various government medical institutions through the 24 warehouses in the state is ensured by closely monitoring the stock position and the procurement process. The stock position in all the warehouses at any point of time is available on the website, which can be easily assessed by the medical institutions,” he explained.

The minister also pointed out that the state has been selected by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to implement the pilot project as part of the national wide computerisation programme. The software has been prepared for uniform use all over India by the state directorate, he added.

The event also saw the customary presidential address being delivered by Ashwini Kumar, Drugs Controller General of India and president IPC 2003.

The presidential address focused on the need to redefine the role of community and hospital pharmacy in the healthcare delivery system of the country. Observing the centrality of pharmacy practice, Ashwini Kumar felt that in spite of the presence of numerous and readily available professionals, the society in general is deprived of quality pharmaceutical care, which is otherwise very much handy.

“The core issue would require consideration in greater detail than what is possible in these two or three days, where we will also be dealing with a wide variety of scientific, technological and educational issues concerning advancing frontiers of pharmaceutical sciences,” he said.

Earlier, V R Venkataachalam, Chancellor, Sree Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute & Chief Patron Local Organising Committee, 55th IPC 2003 inaugurated the Pharmaceutical Expo 2003 being concurrently organized by FICCI at the IPC venue.

Dr C V Bhiramanandham, Vice-chancellor, The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University and Dr. S Thanikachalam were the guests of honour during the inaugural function.

Those present of the dais included Dr. P D Seth, president Indian Pharmaceutical Association, DR. P P Sharma, President Indian Pharmacy Graduate Association, Dr. P Suresh, President Indian Hospital Pharmacists Association, Ravi Udaya Bhaskar, President, All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation, R S Gaud, Association of Pharmacy Teachers of India, S S Vanangamudi, Chairman 55th IPC, Somanathan Director of Drug Control Tamil Nadu, Dr. B Suresh, Secretary 55th IPC, G Rangachary, Patron LOC and Prof K Chinnaswamy, secretary, Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association.