Union government should make concerted efforts to empower Pharmacy Council of India(PCI) as the sole body to regulate the pharmacy colleges in the country. It is high time the concept of dual control of PCI-AICTE is done away with, said Prof. S Mohan, director, PES College of Pharmacy.
 
However to achieve this, the government needs to first bring in the pharmaceutical sector under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Currently, under the ambit of the Ministry of chemicals and Fertilisers, the sector is losing its significance. Issues including the dual control of pharmacy education by PCI and the AICTE are seen to impact the development of personnel and the industry, he added.
 
Since the pharma industry is engaged in the adoption of high level of technology for manufacture, AICTE was brought in to manage pharmacy education under the act of the Parliament. But currently this presence of AICTE is no longer relevant. There is need for a stand-alone and able body like the PCI which comprehends the nuances of curriculum update in a fast transforming industrial environment, Prof. Mohan told Pharmabiz.

Therefore, the government should take on the onus to move pharmaceuticals to ministry of health in a time bound manner. There will be better control over 11,000 pharmacy colleges in the country. The irony is that registration of the pharmacy education is with PCI and its regulation is with AICTE. This has caused considerable chaos. There are many situations where PCI has not recognised a pharmacy college but AICTE has acknowledged its importance, he said.
 
AICTE conducts the examination and disseminates grants and scholarships which is nonexistent in PCI. The government will need to disburse the required funding to PCI and continue the practice of extending financial aid for students and researchers in pharmacy education, he explained.
 
Now PCI is an authority like the Medical Council of India. Only if PCI controls pharmacy education, the pharmacy graduates can be equated and made indispensable to serve the healthcare sector. For instance, recently Karnataka government advertised for posts of healthcare professionals like MBBS, BDS and paramedics but specific posts for pharmacists who are armed with Pharm D were not eligible to apply, he said.
 
In this millennial generation, student population is informative and ambitious with hands-on soft skills and social media platforms. Hence, India has the edge in creating a large educated workforce. It is already recognised for its scientific acumen in pharmaceuticals and the need of the hour is to sustain the talent pool. The only way would be to create the right education platform with PCI in charge. It was PCI which notified the Pharmacy Practice Regulation 2015 and recently, it has also started inspecting M Pharm courses too. As a result, the government should look to empower the PCI as this will bolster pharmacy education in the country, said Prof. Mohan.