Demanding that the periodical election for the six members to the State Pharmacy Council must be held in district wise rather than the existing practice of sending ballots to the voters by registered post and seeking amendment to the election rules, the state committee of the Kerala Private Pharmacists Association (KPPA) will approach the Pharmacy Council of India soon, it is learnt.

According to K R Dinesan, KPPA president, the present council is deliberately delaying the process of election and the ongoing membership renewal campaign is holding against all the democratic principles meant to establish a vested interest in the Council's administration.

When contacted, K C Ajithkumar, president, Kerala State Pharmacy Council, said the council has already taken steps to conduct the election in perfect order and for that reason the renewal campaign is being conducted. He said there are about 37000 registered pharmacists in the list of the Council, but those whose names are put in the electoral rolls when the campaign is over, will only be allowed to cast their vote. He added that, if other things being equal, the election could be held before May next year.

Responding to the allegation of the KPPA that the Pharmaceutical Society of Kerala, formed by a group of working pharmacists and some officials of the state pharmacy council, is in no way helpful to the poor pharmacists of the state, Ajithkumar said the Society was registered only for the welfare of the registered pharmacists irrespective of employed or unemployed.

He said even though the period of the elected members in the present council is over, as per the PCI election rules they can continue in the same position till the new ones assume office. In the present context, a period of 5-6 months is required to finish the whole election process.

"The council has to publish the voters' list first and one-month time should be made available for correcting errors or defects, if anything found, in the list. There is time frame for submission of nominations, withdrawals and finally ballot papers should be sent to each voter by registered post. Again there is short period is pending for their return. All these procedures will require minimum five to six months. The survey and renewal campaign will be completed in this month and the preliminary list of voters will be published in next month, following that, election process will be started," the Council president, said.

According to some other sources, the main motto of this process is that the council desires only a pharmacist should deal the patient for dispensing the medicine. As per the prescription of the doctors the pharmacists should direct the patients how to consume the drugs. Besides, the pharmacist should be ready available in the pharmacy store always.

Out of the total 15 members of the Council, six members are elected by the registered pharmacists, five members are government nominees and the remaining four are ex-officio members.

To a query he said the diploma holders who have secured other jobs after their registration with the Council are not eligible to participate in the election process. The purpose of the survey is to find out how many registered pharmacists are practicing in the state. Ajithkumar asserted that the non-practicing members would be removed from the list of the Council.

About the College that the Pharmaceutical Society of Kerala is planning to start in Kozhikod for pharmacy courses, he said the Society is a subsidiary of the state pharmacy council and its new projects in the pharmacy sector are meant for the welfare of the registered pharmacists. About the allegation that the Council had diverted a big sum from its account for the Society's new initiative, he said it was done by the previous administration.

K R Dinesan, president of the KPPA said the association conducted a protest march to the office of the Pharmacy Council on the 6th of this Month raising the demands and had given representations to the Council administration, but all those were in vain, hence took a decision to approach the supreme authority.