India's drug regulatory authority should look at revising Schedule N of
the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940 to lay down standards for space,
equipment and staff for community & hospital pharmacies, stated S L
Nasa, president , 62nd Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association 2010.

"There
is an urgent need to focus on the revision of Schedule N and lay down
the Good Pharmacy Practice guidelines which should be applicable to
the hospital and community pharmacy. From the regulator's perspective,
it would call to strengthen the infrastructure, increase the number
of drug inspectors, augment laboratory testing facilities and legal
cells to implement the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, stated Nasa in his
presidential address at the inauguration of the recently concluded
event at Manipal.

Delving on the theme of the 62nd IPC 2010,
'Pharma Vision 2020:Pharmacist for a Better Tomorrow', Nasa said that
pharmacists provide vital support to healthcare sector from the bench to
the bedside. Although for a pharmacist, drug dispensing was a primary
function, their role could include services like patient counselling,
prescription monitoring to drug therapy monitoring, rational drug
prescription and be accountable for safe, appropriate and cost effective
use of medicines.

Based on the need for serving the healthcare
sector, the country has over 12 universities and colleges offering post
graduate courses in Hospital Pharmacy in India. The dedicated
curriculum would help mould a candidate in the course. Going the theme
of 62nd IPC, there is a need to work towards making a pharmacist as a
responsible member of the healthcare system. This would mandate revision
in the pharmacy curriculum with the implementation of patient focused
pharmacy training. This is where the Pharm D or Doctor of Pharmacy
course is a step in the right direction where a student after 12th
standard undergoes a 6 years intensive training. The first batch of
candidates which pass out of the course in 2014 need to be provided with
a conducive environment for hospital-based practice, he added.

In
order to be ready with the required infrastructure for the qualifying D
Pharm candidates, there is a pressing need for a legal support to
ensure that the hospitals with over 200 beds should come under a
pharmacist and a full fledged Department of Pharmacy should be set up to
commence the service. The Medical Council of India should also be
persuaded to lay down the minimum standards of hospital pharmacy in
terms of space, staff and equipment before granting the permission to
the hospitals attached to these medical colleges.

As part of
improving the over all standards of the pharmacy profession, the IPCA
president also stressed on the need to upgrade Diploma in Pharmacy (D
Pharm) to B Pharm as a minimum qualification to register as a
pharmacist.

Expressing concern about the issue of mushrooming
of pharmacy colleges in the country, Nasa cautioned that it would be
detrimental going by the slow demand in employment as against an
increased supply coming out of the over 1,000 colleges. In this
regard, he called upon the stakeholders to work along with the pharmacy
colleges to help evolve a system and adopt changes which will help to
adapt to the newer expectations of the profession.