The Private Pharmacy Colleges which are conducting the integrated Pharm D Course in Tamil Nadu have increased the course fee for both six year and three year (Post Baccalaureate) Pharm D programme by 80 to cent per cent in this academic year.

Those colleges, which collected a sum of Rs 50,000 and Rs 75,000 for the first year term in 2008, are charging an amount around Rs1 lakh and above from the 2009 batches towards fee for first year. While this hike affects the six year course Pharm D, fee for the three-year Post Baccalaureate has been raised to Rs 1 25 lakh by these Colleges, it is learnt.

This year, the PCI has given approval to two more Pharmacy Colleges to start the Pharm D course. With this, the total number of colleges that are conducting the course has risen to 10 in the state. Seven out of these Colleges have already started the second batch in August this year, while the rest have all set to do it in next month, according to sources. Most of the colleges are attached to some Medical Colleges or multi specialty hospitals to run the clinical oriented course.

The Government Pharmacy College under Annamala University, Chidambaram, which started its second batch of the Programme in last Month, is collecting only Rs 29,800 from students towards their course fee for one year, according to Dr R Manavalan, principal of the Pharmacy College. The University is getting a UGC aid for conducting the Pharm D course.

The Pharmacy College under the University is conducting five branches in M.Pharm course. They are Industrial Pharmacy, Quality Assurance, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice.

In private sector, Nanda College of Pharmacy, Erodu, and KMCH College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore, are the two Institutions which have got approval from the PCI to start the intensive program this year.

Besides Annamala University, the Colleges that have started the second batches are SRM College of Pharmacy, Chennai, PSG College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore, Vinayaga Mission College of Pharmacy, Salem, Ramakrishna Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Coimbatore, Sri Ramachandra Medical College at Poroor in Chennai, JSS college of Pharmacy, Ootty and Vels College of Pharmacy, Chennai.

According to information received, the two colleges starting the course for the first time have decided to collect less than Rs.80,000 in the first term. While Nanda College is conducting only the Six year Program, KMCH is holding both six year and three year courses separately. Sources from the KMCH said they have filled the required number of students for Pharm D, 30, and 15 more students are in the waiting list. Nanda College is conducting the M Pharm programme in five branches (Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Analysis) and also PhD programme.

JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootty has limited the amount to Rs 1.25 lakh for both Six Year and Three Year courses. Last year the college started the course a little late and got 10 students each for both the programs. Fee for both the courses were the same as of this year's. The college is conducting eight branches in M Pharm Course such as Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognocy, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacy Practice and Phyto Pharmacy & Phyto Medicine.

Sri Ramachandra College of Pharmacy, Porur in Chennai has this year raised the fee for Post Baccalaureate from Rs110,000 to Rs.125,000 and for six year Pharm D the fee has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh. The College is also conducting B Pharm and four branches of M.Pharm which include Pharmacy Practice, Pharmaceutics, Quality Assurance and Pharmacognocy. The College which is strictly following the AICTE norms has an intake of ten students each for each branch of M Pharm course.

PSG College of Pharmacy in Coimbatore started the six year program last year, now wants to introduce the three year Post Baccalaureate this year, said the Principal of the College. Last year the College collected Rs 50,000 towards first year fee, but this year the amount has been increased to Rs 80,000. PSG College was the only Institute in the state to start the Pharm D programme under the Tamil Nadu Dr M G R Medical University in the last academic year. For the last two years the college was facing shortage of students for B Pharm course, but it has picked up this year, sources said. The College is attached to a Medical College which is situated in the same campus.

SRM College of Pharmacy, Chennai, which started its first batch with 11 students last year, has got 30 students this year. The college is collecting a sum of Rs 1 lakh towards first year fee this year. The inspection at the College by the PCI team has ended on Thursday. The class for the second batch will begin towards end of this month.

Ramakrishna Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Coimbatore, which started the Post Baccalaureate Pharm D last year, has this year started the six year program also. Vels College of Pharmacy in Chennai started the Pharm D programme with less than 30 students last year, but received 40 students for both the Pharm D courses this year.

When contacted some Colleges, the Principals were hesitant to disclose the fee structure as they were under pressure from the managements.

The Six year duration of the Pharm D Programme includes five years of study and one year of internship or residency. Each academic year spread over a period of not less than two hundred working days.

The three year Post Baccalaureate consists two years of study and one year internship or residency. Each academic year is spread over a period of not less than two hundred working days.

Institutions running B Pharm Course approved under section 12 of the Pharmacy Act, will only be permitted to run Pharm D programme. Pharm D (Post Baccalaureate) programme will be permitted only in those institutions which are permitted to run the six year Pharm D.

The eligibility criteria for admission to six year Pharm D is a pass in 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry and Biology or Mathematics with not less than 50 per cent marks in the aggregate of the three subjects. For Pharm D post baccalaureate Course the criteria is a pass in B Pharm.

According to the opinion of the principals of the ten pharmacy colleges, with the emergence of more and more corporate and multi-specialty hospitals in India, the job opportunities for Pharm D graduates are high compared to other courses in Pharmacy.