The executive vice president and CEO of American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, USA, (ASHP) Prof. Dr. Henri R Manasse has said that his organization is contemplating to provide two months free professional training to the qualified and experienced pharmacists from India to see and learn how the hospital pharmacies, clinical pharmacies and community pharmacies are operating in the US.

The ASHP is a 36,000-member national professional association that represents pharmacists practising in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, home care, and other components of health care systems.

Regarding the training program, he said ASHP has tied up with some hospitals in the US and reached an agreement with the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) to process the selection procedures. The pharmacists will be selected through IPA only.

Prof Manasse was in Chennai recently to attend the IPA convention 2010.

In an exclusive interview with Pharmabiz, Manasse said ASHP is providing an opportunity to the Indian pharmacists and the nature of the program is being worked out. The selection process would be commenced in May and the training program could be started in June or July, he hoped.

When asked what would be the criteria for the selection, he said those would be worked soon.

To another query that how the Pharm D course will help the pharmacists in getting job opportunities in foreign countries like USA, he responded that it would help them achieve higher posts in foreign countries like US and said his organization's training program, meant for the Indian pharmacists, would be a pre-requisite for getting good positions there. The Pharma D course will create new kind of pharmacists in India, he said.

A better understanding of the operational system of hospital pharmacies working in the western countries will help the trainees for some basic changes in their profession and attitude towards the patients. The functioning of pharmacies everywhere should be the same as that of hospitals. The pharmacists' role is between the prescribers (doctors) and the patients.

"We will give free training to the selected pharmacists for a maximum period of eight weeks. The individuals have to bear their travelling, food and accommodation expenses. They will be given training in some hospitals and clinics. For this we have tied up with some hospitals and industries, and an agreement with IPA has already been made. Since there are legal requirements like emigration, documents and visas for getting jobs, we cannot offer them any promise. We are giving an opportunity to the Indian pharmacists to see how American Pharmacists are working," Manasse told Pharmabiz.

He appreciated the services and skill of Indian pharmacists working in various healthcare organizations in the American hospitals.

Regarding the pharmacy education in the US, he said six years of university requirements including practice are required to appoint a pharmacist in a hospital pharmacy. About the curriculum of pharmacy education in India, he said it should be clinical oriented.

Dr Manasse is also the Professional Secretary of International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). His organization is planning to conduct its annual seminar in India next year and the venue would be Hyderabad.