The mandate given by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to institutions offering pharmacy courses to seek certification from National Board of Accreditation (NBA) for conducting PG programmes has become a technical snag for the pharmacy colleges in the north-eastern region of the country and also for thousands of students who aspire to pursue higher studies in pharmaceutical sciences.

Since higher education in pharmacy is not up to the reach of the students there, those who wanted to do courses in pharmacy depend on institutions in the national capital and in the south Indian states. The very small number of colleges in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, which are running diploma and degree courses, find it difficult to upgrade their status into post-graduate level. The certification of NBA accreditation has become a pre-qualification norm of the AICTE since the last two years.

According to information shared with Pharmabiz by academicians from institutions located in the north east, seven institutions are offering diploma and degree courses and five institutions running post graduate programmes.

In Nagaland and Meghalaya, no institute is offering any course in pharmaceutical sciences. Himalayan University in Arunachal Pradesh and Government Polytechnic in Imphal in Manipur offer D Pharm course.

Regional Institute of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology in Tripura runs diploma course and degree course. Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS) in Aizawl in Mzoram and Himalayan Pharmacy Institute in Sikkim have both degree and post graduate courses. But most of these institutions in these states do not have approvals of the PCI or the AICTE, sources from academic field informed.

In north east, Assam is leading with more pharmacy institutes including NIPER Guwahati. But courses offered there are very few in the colleges affiliated to three universities located in different parts of the state. Apart from NIPER Guwahati, PG programmes in pharmacy are conducted in Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (GIPS) in Guwahati, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Dibrugarh University and Down Town Private University in Panikhaiti.

The institute of pharmaceutical sciences in Tripura, which is known as Regional Pharmacy Institute (RPI), is the most popular pharmacy college run by a state government in the north-east. It was established in 1979 with a diploma course in pharmacy. In the year 1990, it was elevated to the level of degree college. Although the college has all the infrastructure facilities and applicants for PG course, the AICTE norm of NBA certification becomes a hurdle for starting post graduate programme.

Dr. Suvakanta Dash, principal of the college, while speaking to Pharmabiz over telephone from Agartala, said the institution gives admission to students from six states in the north east on quota basis. The state governments of Arunachal Pradesh,  Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are sending six students for D Pharm and four students for B Pharm every year for all batches offered in this college. He said if the AICTE gives exemption from NBA certification to this institute, it can start PG programme in the coming academic year, which will help for students from all the six states in the region.

Dr. Dash further said, all the institutions in the north-east are planning to join hands to approach Ministry of Human Resources Development in the centre and the AICTE seeking exemption from the pre-condition of NBA accreditation. Considering the necessity of qualified pharmacy professionals in the north east, the central government and the AICTE should allow the colleges in this area to launch PG courses and establish more institutions. Gradually, the colleges will try to obtain accreditation from NBA. Because of this hurdle the colleges are helpless to upgrade their status into post graduate level.

Another important news he shared with Pharmabiz is that since pharmacy institutions are less in number, the medical stores in the north-eastern states lack qualified pharmacists. Number of registered pharmacists with state pharmacy councils and Tribunals are very few.