With a view to strengthen the role of community pharmacists in the healthcare system of the country, the Indian Pharmaceutical Association--Community Pharmacy Division (IPA – CPD) in association with the Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association (MSCDA) recently organised a convention in Mumbai.

The convention focused on sensitising the community pharmacists in Maharashtra about the latest trends and issues with respect to patients' medicine related needs.

The association through this convention aimed at accelerating the growth of community pharmacy as a profession by creating an ideal platform for community pharmacists to understand their duties by sharing of ideas. Raj Vaidya, chairman, Community Pharmacy Division-IPA pointed out that today most of the community pharmacists in the country are not aware of the responsibilities that they are expected to deliver as a part of their job profile, as they hardly offer any patient-oriented service.

He stated, “The concept of community pharmacist is relatively a new term that has been introduced only recently in our country, thus it is imperative for us to take steps to sensitise about it not only among the public but also among the pharmacy graduates and pharmacists. Our main agenda by organising this kind of programme is to change the way this profession is being perceived so that we can develop it in such a way that a pharmacists role is well defined and established in our healthcare system.”

Vaidya further stressed that to achieve this goal, the first priority would be to educate the pharmacists on their responsibility towards patient’s medicine related needs, so that they have a clear idea on what they are expected do while performing their duties.

IPA had organised this convention specifically, to urge the pharmacists to focus on the grey areas that have been overlooked by them over the years. This convention focused on the role of the pharmacists in the community, and their medicine management skills with respect to some specific areas like aging and dementia, skin care, role of pharmacist in handling cases of diarrhoea, TB, use of IT and proper communication skills in pharmacy etc.

The event was organised at the NCRD’s Sterling Institute of Pharmacy and was attended by over 250 community pharmacists from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Solapur, Pune and Aurangabad districts.