The Community Pharmacy Division of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, (IPA-CPD), along with MSCDA (Maharashtra State Chemists & Druggists Association) is organizing a one-day convention for community pharmacists, on November 27, at NCRD’s Sterling Institute of Pharmacy, Nerul – Navi Mumbai. The convention is being hosted by the Maharashtra State Branch of IPA.

The convention will be an opportunity for practicing community pharmacists to come together, exchange their experiences, as well as upgrade their knowledge through series of sessions arranged that day, to be addressed by expert faculty. The topics have been carefully chosen so as to interest and benefit the practicing pharmacist. Some of the topics include Responding to symptoms with OTC medicines, Dispensing Errors, Dementia, Improving profits, and retaining employees, communicating with patients, & sharing of experiences by community pharmacists, as to how they changed their practice to a professional orientation, and also being DOTS Providers. The Convention will conclude with a Patient Counseling Competition amongst the participants.

This one day convention has been planned to not only bring community pharmacists together, but also to update their knowledge on various aspects of illnesses and medicines (topics include: pharmacist in mother and child health, communication to patients, case studies on recommending OTC medicines, dispensing errors, experience sharing by community pharmacists on how they innovated).

This convention will bring together community pharmacists from different parts of the country together, motivate them, and revolutionize the sense of "belonging" of community pharmacists to their profession.