Thousands of pharmacy graduates who have pursued their higher studies by doing MS programme in Industrial Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality Control from prestigious institutions in the country are running from pillar to post to get jobs in the myriad teaching faculties in the pharmacy colleges across the country as the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has not recognised the MS degree as yet.

To the utter dismay of thousands of MS students who have passed out from institutions such as National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), the PCI has announced it will not recognise the MS programmes being conducted by some pharmacy institutions in the country.

It has been learnt by the PCI that some pharmacy institutions are offering two year full-time MS Programmes in Industrial Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality Control to pharmacy graduates. In this connection, it is clarified that only following qualifications acquired from an institution approved by PCI u/s 12 of the Pharmacy Act are approved for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act - a) D.Pharm b) B.Pharm c) Pharm.D.

In view of it, the said MS Programmes are not approved by the PCI either for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act to practice the profession or any other purpose like teaching in approved pharmacy institutions.

According to sources, NIPER and other prestigious pharma institutions in the country are conducting the two-year MS programme in Industrial Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality Control. The students who have passed out the course claim that the syllabi for this Master degree are more and larger than other M.Pharm institutes.

Interestingly, the MS degree is valid and recognized even in developed countries like USA, UK, etc. as the course is being conducted even in NIPER which is considered equal to IITs and AIIMS. While the students can get a teaching job in the universities in US and UK, the same is denied in Indian pharmacy institutions due to the lack of coordination between the PCI and other pharma institutions like NIPER.

Meanwhile, some of the affected students have threatened to sit on hunger strike till a favourable decision is taken on the issue by the concerned authorities.