Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) with its division, Students Forum (IPA-SF) is organizing the 4th National Pharmacy Students Congress on February 18  and 19 at St. Peter’s Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh in association with IPA, Hanamkonda local branch for the first time in the state.

A pre-congress programme of leadership in training (LIT) is also proposed to organise on February 17 to the future leaders of the pharmacy profession at the institute. The theme of the congress is “Evidence Based Pharmacy Education.”

Dr T V Narayana, chairman, IPA-Education Division, Dr Diwakar Goli, secretary of IPA-Education Division and principal of Acharya & B M Reddy College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, Ratan, IPA-SF chairperson, and Dr Rao VSV Vadlamudi, editor, Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences will be present at the congress.

“This year students from the country attending the congress will get a chance to put forward their views and issues in front of the representatives of apex bodies and various authorities like Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), etc. which will help them to solve their queries and by putting forward their issues will help apex bodies to provide solutions,” informed Dr Goli, principal of Acharya & B M Reddy College of Pharmacy, Bangalore.

The Congress is focused mainly on students' perspectives of Pharmacy Education in line with the industry expectations. T Jayapal Reddy is the chairman of the local organising committee (LOC) that has been formed to organise this congress. This year nearly 5000 pharmacy students including IPA-SF leaders from all parts of the country are expected to attend this congress.

IPA-SF committees are in the talks to form students forum committee wherein the elections would be undertaken and students can select their head. The forum has also formed an IPA-SF official discussion group in the yahoo website. The students' forum focuses on sensitization, motivation and encouragement of students at various colleges and universities to discuss regular issues relating to pharmacy.