The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) is all set to commence one more division, IPA Students Forum (IPA-SF), a national platform exclusively for pharmacy students for their overall development and progress.

The new division, affiliated to the International Pharmaceutical Student's Federation (IPSF), will be working in close collaboration with International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). An official announcement in this regard will be made at the central council meeting of IPA on March, 25 2006, informed S D Joag, General Secretary, IPA.

"The IPA-SF, formed by the special initiative of our president Subodh Priolkar, will have a representation in central executive council of IPA. Currently, 40% of our strength is students and thousands of students are coming forward to participate in Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC). Taking consideration of this fact, we are planning to include some special program for students in the 58th IPC, to be held at Mumbai," Joag told Pharmabiz.

He said that the IPA-SF would work at grass root level, mainly in colleges, and the work would be channelised through regional working groups, under the 5 regions of IPA. The forum will aim at representing student's views at all the levels of the profession. By participating and growing by themselves, the students would be the part of the growing career from the very beginning of their professional career, Joag added. The details of the forum will be announced as soon as the official announcement comes out, he added.

"Through the formation of new division, we are planning to give more freedom to the student community. We have also re-established our link with the IPSF, through a contact person on behalf of IPA," informed Joag.

The IPA have five divisions already existing, namely the Educational Division, Industrial Pharmacy Division, Regulatory Affairs Division, Hospital Pharmacy Division and Community Pharmacy Division.