The RayMedi Academy of Continuing Education for Pharmacists, an academy for conducting continuous education programmes exclusively for practicing pharmacists, has been launched in Chennai.

The academy, a supporting centre for Community Pharmacy Division of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), aims to enhance the knowledge base of pharmacists to practice community pharmacy, endorsed by WHO and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

“The academy will conduct weekly lectures for batches of 15 pharmacists and envisages CEP training for 100 pharmacists by the year 2006,” said R.S. Iyer, director, RayMedi ACE Pharmacy and vice chairman, Community Pharmacy Division, Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA).

The educational programme will be free of cost and is part of IPA’s efforts to popularise community pharmacy practices in the country. Initially, the academy will concentrate on educating the professional pharmacists in Chennai.

“Operations of the academy would be extended to other cities, only after accomplishing the first aim of providing education to 100 pharmacists in the city,” said Iyer.

The academy, which conducts classes in its auditorium in the city, will soon function with a lecture hall and office facility, he added. The community pharmacy division of IPA has been conducting awareness classes for the pharmacists for the last one year. IPA plans to conduct an ‘All India Convention of Community Pharmacy’ at Pune on 3rd February 2006. The event will be added by a workshop on community pharmacy.

Chinnaswamy, chairman, Education Wing of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) inaugurated the RayMedi Academy of Continuous Education (ACE). Raj Vaidhya, secretary CPD (Community Pharmacy Division), IPA conducted a workshop on "Community Pharmacy Practices". The facilities for the academy were constructed by GuFrugal Technologies Pvt Ltd. GoFrugal Technologies is aiming to conduct the RayMedi ACE program once in a month, according to the GoFrugal sources.