When a supportive government is in the centre, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) should adopt a more transparent method in chalking out programmes and reforms for the improvement of pharmacy education. Likewise, for the betterment of Indian pharmacy profession, the government of India should take steps to study the existing educational system in the pharmacy field and re-structure the functioning and working of the PCI, feels academicians in field of pharmacy.

While fully supporting the steps being taken by Pharmacy Council and without criticising their efforts, the academicians opined that the way the PCI framed the syllabus and curriculum of Pharm D in 2008 was wrong. Even the Council did not consult with the AICTE and the UGC for their support when the course was introduced in the year 2008. Framing of syllabus and curriculum is the responsibility of universities. AICTE and UGC are following that way, commented the veteran pharmacy academician, Dr KG Revikumar from Kerala.

“In the year 2008 when the Pharm D program was introduced in the country, UGC was very much supportive to introduce new and innovative programmes in pharmacy and it was supporting all government institutions and universities by providing financial support. The constitution of PCI shows that they are not academic experts like the members of other councils like Medical Council of India (MCI), nursing council and dental council.  Then, how can such a council frame and publish a rigid syllabus  for an ever changing science subject like Pharm D?”, asked Dr KGR.

Fully agreeing with the comments of Dr KGR, pharmacy teachers from various institutions have said the PCI should consult with the expert academicians and seek their advice while framing the syllabus for all the programmes including B Pharm and M Pharm. According to them, PCI is following a 25 years old syllabus for the two year diploma in pharmacy (D.Pharm) course in India under ER 91, which was framed in 1986-87 period.  

Dr S Satheesh Kumar, Professor and HoD, department of pharmaceutics, Vels University in Chennai said this is the right time for the PCI to take necessary steps to streamline the B. Pharm course by re-framing effective syllabus to produce industry-ready candidates and implement uniform syllabus in all the universities across India. The clinical subjects need to be minimised for the B. Pharm and focus must be given towards the pharmaceutical technology, formulation development, pharmaceutical chemistry, analysis, herbal drugs with a sound knowledge in pharmacology and regulatory affairs. Industrial training in established pharmaceutical company must be made mandatory during the course of 4 years B. Pharm degree.

Present time requires a market driven dynamic curriculum for B. Pharm and M. Pharm with public private partnership of industry-academia Interaction process which has to be developed with an in-built provision for employability skills/employment opportunities for all pharmacy graduates across the country, said Dr P Suresh, principal,  Institute of Pharmacy & Technology, Cuttack in Orissa.