The six year Pharm D course will now bring to the fore within three months, 300 qualified graduates passing out of 10 colleges in the country.  The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and the Indian Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (IACP) have  ensured that the spotlights are on the first batch of these 300 candidates. It is making certain that healthcare providers and the clinical research organizations (CRO) would assess the expertise of these candidates well ahead of the campus interviews.

“We are doing every bit to ensure that all  300 students are suitably employed. The hospitals and the CROs will soon realize their indispensability, Dr K Chinnasamy Professor Emeritus, JSS College of Pharmacy Ootacamund and president, Indian Congress of Pharmacy Practice 2014 told Pharmabiz.

There are over 20,000 hospitals in India with 10 of which are Joint Commission International accredited and over 70 National Accreditation Board for Healthcare & Hospital Providers (NABH) certified hospitals in India. In addition, there is a huge presence of 400 medical colleges, multinational companies and  corporate healthcare providers established in the country and many more new facilities coming up to cater to the treatments needs of its 1.2 billion population. Therefore lucrative jobs are a definite possibility for the 300 candidates, he added.

“We have ensured the presence of heads of companies in pharmacy practice and healthcare industry to interact with the fresh graduates of Pharm D.  These are the candidates who could transform the healthcare delivery in the country”,Dr.Chinnasamy said.

In the area of CRO industry, clinical trials mandate Pharm D candidates to keep track of the adverse drug reactions and pre-medication errors.  A  qualified personnel armed with expertise of latest drugs and their methods of administration is found much wanting.  “We have seen that an increasing patient population is  manifesting rare conditions, new diseases and disorders requiring to be treated with the novel drugs and delivery devices. This is where the doctors will require additional support and Pharm D gradates are seen to fit the bill”, said Dr. Chinnaswamy.

Leading healthcare providers like Fortis, Apollo and clinical research companies are already interested in hiring many from the first batch .

There was a   compelling intent to strengthen the professional competence of pharmacists in the country specifically  in hospitals which led  PCI introduced the six year Pharm D in 2008 for the entry level students and a three year post-baccalaureate Pharm D for the B Pharm working professionals.

Going by the job opportunities that are expected in the sector, there is also a need to increase the number of colleges offering Pharm D from  10 to 124 colleges taking the total number of passing out candidates for the period between 2014 to 2020 to 600 and then  to 1200 in the later years,  he said.