With a view to strengthen the role of pharmacists in the country and to ensure better healthcare services to the patients, pharmacists across India want the centre to take immediate action to make the presence of pharmacist essential for dispensing medicines.

The resolution proposed by Prafull D Sheth, vice-president of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) was unanimously agreed upon by all during the 65th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, (IPC) that was recently concluded in Delhi. Supporting this long standing demand Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) stressed that the Ministry of Health should take up this issue seriously with the CDSCO, state health secretaries, state drug controllers and FDA commissioners and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). and State Pharmacy Councils so that Drugs & Cosmetics (D&C) Act & Rules and The Pharmacy Act are implemented uniformly throughout the country.

Manjiri Gharat, vice-president and chairperson, community pharmacy division, Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) stressed that since a pharmacist is a formally qualified health professional trained in handling medicines and prescriptions, medicines should always be dispensed only by or under the supervision of a registered pharmacist in the best interest of the public health. She added, “We hope that this will be an important advocacy initiative to ensure the presence of pharmacists in pharmacies across the country which is much needed as per law as well as for public safety.”

One of the important provisions of the D&C Act 1940 & Rules 1945 is that, the supply other than by way of wholesale dealing, of any drug sold on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner shall be effected only by or under the personal supervision of a registered pharmacist. Furthermore, provision of the Pharmacy Act 1948 is that no person other than a registered pharmacist shall compound prepare, mix, or dispense any medicine on the prescription of a medical practitioner.

“This means that it is mandatory for a registered pharmacist to be present in the pharmacy or medical stores throughout its opening hours and dispense medicines. Unfortunately, in India the situation is pretty bad, as pharmacists are not always present in the pharmacy or a medical store. The situation vary from region to region, state to state and pharmacy to pharmacy. Officially many pharmacies or medical stores show that they have a registered pharmacist, but this is only on paper. The pharmacist may not be always present, and many times the certificate of one pharmacist is displayed in more than one pharmacy,” she pointed out.

Further its has been observed that even if some pharmacy has one pharmacist exclusively to itself, at times, the pharmacy remains open and sells medicines beyond the working hours of the pharmacist, in his or her absence. Same situation exists in the rural medical dispensaries, sub-centres, urban health centres, primary health centres, community health centres, district hospitals and even the central government public hospitals, defense services and railways, where dispensing does take place to variable extents by unqualified persons including jawans or attendants, sweepers or even peons etc. but not by pharmacists.

She further stressed that besides being a breach of law, dispensing of prescriptions and medicines in the absence or without supervision of the pharmacist is a serious health risk, which unfortunately the public is exposed to across the country - day in and day out. Gharat warns that medicines have to be used responsibly for best outcomes as they may have side effects and misuse of potent medicines may lead to harm, and serious health consequences.