Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) will be appointing pharmacy inspectors in all the states in a bid to curb the practice of dispensing medicines by the unqualified persons at pharmacy counters in the country. The inspectors will be appointed as per the section 26 A of the Pharmacy Act of 1948.

The Pharmacy Act empowers the State Council with the prior sanction from respective State Governments to appoint Inspectors having prescribed qualifications for the purposes of Chapters III, IV and V of this Act.

An inspector may, (a) inspect any premises where drugs are compounded or dispensed and submit a written report to the Registrar; (b) enquire whether a person who is engaged in compounding or dispensing of drugs is a registered pharmacist ;(c) investigate any complaint made in writing in respect of any contravention of this Act and report to the Registrar; (d) institute prosecution under the order of the Executive Committee of the State Council, (e) exercise such other powers as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of Chapters III, IV and V of this Act or any rules made there under.

The move is being initiated by the Council to enforce Section 42 of the Pharmacy Act of 1948. According to this "On or after such date as the State Government may by notification in the Official Gazette appoint in this behalf, no person other than a registered pharmacist shall compound, prepare, mix, or dispense any medicine on the prescription of a medical practitioner". Anyone violating the act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to six months, or with fine not exceeding one thousand rupees or with both.

The Pharmacy Council sources said that unregistered pharmacists giving medicinal drugs to the customers can quite often lead to adverse reactions. So the Council decided to appoint Pharmacy inspectors throughout the country. Till date there has not been any pharmacy inspector to monitor the pharmacies. Except for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala no other State has appointed Pharmacy inspectors.

According to B Suresh, president of Pharmacy Council of India, "we are trying to appoint senior people in the field of pharmaceutical industry to monitor the pharmacies and at a later stage regular inspectors would be appointed." A letter has been sent to the Union health minister on this matter.