The Central Government has introduced the Indian Medicine and Homeopathy Pharmacy Bill 2005 in Rajya Sabha, last week, to bring in legislation to set up Central Pharmacy Council to regulate education and pharmacy practices in ayurveda, siddha, unani and homeopathy.

During the third week of June, this year, the cabinet had approved to introduce the bill in Parliament. Panabaka Lakshmi, union minister of state for health, introduced the bill in Rajya Sabha on Friday, last week.

It may be noted Pharmabiz was the first to report on the government move to bring in a Central Pharmacy Council for ISM sector to regulate and standardize education and support services in the ISM sector and to improve the image and standards of ISM products and services in the global arena, during August, 2004. Pharmabiz had reported the Department of AYUSH had directed the legislative department under the ministry of law to prepare the draft of Pharmacy Bill for ISM sector with provisions of setting up the Central Pharmacy Council.

The bill envisages putting in place a framework as in the case of the Indian Pharmacy Council for allopathic medicine for streamlining the pharmacy practices, trade and education in the ISM sector. At present, while the services of a registered pharmacist is mandatory for starting a retail outlet of allopathic medicine, the licenses are issued to registered medical practitioners in the case of ISM medicines.

Though numerous ISM outlets, mainly promoted by individual Ayurvedic and Siddha companies are mushrooming, the retail outlets lack qualified pharmacists to man the outlets. The bill is to bring in provisions to start recognized courses of BPharm in ISM medicine.

The idea to set up a Central Pharmacy Council for ISM was initiated a few years ago at a Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) meeting when a member from Kerala proposed the need for setting up a Central Pharmacy Council in the lines of the Pharmacy Council of India. However, then the CCIM had rejected the proposal citing the issue was beyond the jurisdiction of CCIM, and later it was forwarded to the ministry of AYUSH for its perusal.