The Pharma Vision 2020 Charter released by Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, President of India, at the IPC venue at Chennai yesterday envisions promoting high professional and ethical standards of pharmacy practices and thorough revamp of the existing pharmacy practices in the country.

According to Prafull D. Seth, President of Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) and Prof. B. Suresh, President of Pharmacy Council of India, the two associations that are going to nurture and implement the charter, mission of the Charter was to optimize health of the society through the promotion of safe, effective and rational medicine use, patient counseling and monitoring of disease management through pharmaceutical care.

By year 2020, the charter envisions active role for pharmacy experts in health promotion and disease prevention and working with various disciplines of pharmacy. The pharmacists would offer expert advice on prescribing and medicine management of diseases, and will develop pharmaceutical expertise and facilities in order to deliver hi-tech and individually tailored medicines in the primary care setting.

Further, pharmacists will actively involve in the national health programmes like promotion of essential drugs, primary health care, HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, tobacco use or family planning, and will become knowledgeable to participate in medication management and outcome monitoring, including the ability to alter doses and change medicines within agreed therapeutic protocols.

The Charter has outlined a few strategies to reach at the goals by 2020. Pharmacists will become more patient centric and should shift focus from product to both product and patient by identifying the patient needs and to ensure the patient understands the correct use of medicines. Upgradation of minimum qualification and training will be part of the strategy and continuing education should be made mandatory for practice of pharmacy. The Charter will also try to bring pharmacists’ registration and licensing of chemists’ shops under one agency, besides accreditation of chemist shops to ensure presence of qualified pharmacists and Good Pharmacy Practices.

The Charter also calls for changes in existing legislations and entails value added role for pharmacists in national healthcare programmes. Our national health policy has not accorded pharmacy its rightful place in the national health systems, though expenditure on pharmaceuticals is a major item in our health budgets. While Ministry of Health has endorsed the World Health Assembly resolution (47,12), the Indian government has conveniently avoided implementation and inclusion of pharmacy in the National Health Policy. The charter feels in the emerging scenario, it is logical that the society should rely upon pharmacist to enhance the quality of drug therapy by identifying inappropriate prescribing, pharmaceutical delivery, patient compliance, patient idiosyncrasy and appropriate monitoring of drug therapy.

The programme of action to implement the charter relies on relationships, accessibility, technology and standards. The Charter envisages developing and managing relationships between a wide variety of stakeholders, communicating the vision to public, role of Ministry of Health and various councils and organizations, involvement of national professional bodies etc. The vision needs to be backed up substantial research showing its benefits of involving pharmacist in the national healthcare programmes. Action is required to propose a list of over the country products, which can be prescribed and dispensed by pharmacists. Similarly, the role of electronic communication and technology has to explore. The vision is based on increased professionalism, best supported by developing clear standards in the areas of Good Pharmacy Practices, accessibility, pharmaceutical services and ethics, said the Charter.