The first of its kind International Congress of Indian Pharmacy Graduates (ICIPG –2003) was held at the Anna University campus, at Chidambaram near Chennai.

Around 2000 delegates, including 800 women from different parts of the country and abroad took part in the two day congress from 8th to 9th of November, jointly organized by the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA) and the Department of Pharmacy, Annamalai university. The congress was organized as part of the ongoing platinum jubilee celebrations of the university.

Profile of the participants included pharmacy graduates and postgraduates, pharmacy college faculties, pharmacists, pharmaceutical industrialists, government officials etc. special invitees, including NRI pharmacists and industry entrepreneurs from countries like U.K., USA, Australia, Japan, Thailand and Singapore are participating in the event.

The participants deliberated ways to upgrade the standard of pharmacy education in the country, and ways to improve it to global standards.

Further, the event envisaged to create the necessary momentum for gaining due recognition to Indian pharmacists and to institute a separate identity to pharmacy education at the university level in Tamil Nadu. Experts from leading research institutions, universities and renowned pharmacy colleges presented hundreds of scientific papers on related subjects, according to the organizers.

The organizers also conducted a rally attended by 100 students to propagate the message of rainwater harvesting, prevention of AIDS, tobacco-free future and importance of pharmacy profession and role pharmacists in healthcare.

The dignitaries who attended the function included N.Thalaivi Sundaram, State Health Minister, Dr.L.B.Ventkatrajan, vice-chancellor, Annamalai University, M.A.M. Ramaswamy, pro-chancellor, Annamalai University etc.