A group of pharmacy academicians from different teaching institutions in Bihar and Jharkhand have flayed the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) for its lackadaisical attitude in introducing the revised syllabus for the two-year diploma course in pharmacy, D Pharm, as new Education Regulations (ER 2016).   These academicians will soon submit a memorandum to the PCI in this regard.

Presently, all the pharmacy colleges in the country are following the ER 1991 which was framed in the year 1986. The current syllabus of the D Pharm is 30 years old and has not been keeping up with the time, the academic experts feel.

According to them the revised syllabus should have been introduced as new Education Regulations in 2013 (ER 2013), which had been framed in 2011. It was expected to be introduced at least last year.

According to Dr Roop Narayan Gupta, professor at the Department of Pharmaceutics at the Birla Institute of Pharmacy in Ranchi, it is due to the apathy of the PCI that the revised and updated syllabus for D Pharm remains unimplemented.  Despite several requests from academicians and faculty members, PCI is maintaining a passive approach towards introduction of the modified syllabus. Dr Gupta said the syllabus revision committee submitted its report in 2011. He wanted the PCI to introduce the ER from this academic year.

Dr Gupta pointed out that the PCI introduced new Pharmacy Practice Regulations in 2015. This gives the pharmacist a challenging and active role in healthcare activities. So, 30-year old curriculum will not help him to be a competent pharmacist in the modern days. PCI should think of keeping up with the changes in time. According to him, the universities in India have already revised their syllabus for B Pharm. Still PCI is going ahead with the old syllabus for the entry level pharmacy course.

Commenting on the issue, Dr K G Revikumar, an academic expert in pharmacy from Kerala, said the present Education Regulation was framed in1986 at Thiruvananthapuram and it is 30 years old now and  hence amended regulations have to be introduced to make competent professionals for tomorrow. He said D Pharm course is mostly conducted by the medical education boards in all the states. However a few universities are also conducting it.

According to Dr Revikumar, unlike MCI, NCI and DCI, PCI is the only statutory healthcare body in India with inadequate number of academic experts. The central council of the Medical Council of India is full of experienced professors and principals of medical colleges. Likewise, the Dental Council and the Nursing Council consist of hundred percent academic experts. Whereas, the Pharmacy Council of India’s central council comprises diploma holders and degree holders who are supposed to be eligible for compounders or drug inspectors.

“The present PCI central council members are not competent to frame the syllabus of the pharmacy course to create healthcare professionals for tomorrow. PCI is engaging tutors of today to teach yesterday’s syllabus to make tomorrow’s professionals. They are not accustomed to the change of times,” he added.

PCI was established in the year 1949 and the first ER was drafted in 1953, which was subsequently amended in 1972, 1981, 1991 and the latest amendment was done in 2011.