Worried over the way the state Pharmacy Registration Tribunal is functioning, the Jharkhand State Pharmacists Association (JSPA) has filed a petition with the High Court of Jharkhand praying for a directive to the state government for taking immediate steps for constituting state pharmacy council.

According to the association, no government has taken the initiative to form a pharmacy council in the state even after 17 years of the state formation. Due to lack of a state council, anomalies are found in all the areas, especially in the areas of registration and certificate renewal of students.

Whereas the state has the other three councils required for the health sector, medical council, dental council and nursing council, for the purpose of registration of certificates and control of education. Since the government and the Tribunal (JPRT) are not properly considering the status of qualified pharmacists, several of the D Pharm and B Pharm holders are registering their certificates with the pharmacy council of Bihar. Despite repeated requests from the pharmacist groups and chemists associations, the government is not taking any step for the formation of a Council, said Dharmendra singh, president of JSPA, referring his petition to the court.

Referring the petition filed by JSPA, Dharmendra said due to anomalies found in the voters’ list prepared by the Tribunal for the election, the association has approached the high court. The major anomaly was found in the age and educational qualifications of the voters who were enrolled in the list.

According to him, JSPA will soon start agitations in all districts demanding filling up vacancies of pharmacists in all the hospitals and health centers. To an RTI query by JSPA, the authorities have informed the association that 55 per cent of the total posts of pharmacists in the government sector is lying vacant. Besides, there is a number of posts of drug inspectors remain unfilled, said Dharmendra.

When contacted, the director of drugs controller, Ritu Sahai said almost all the posts of drug inspectors have been filled up and small number of vacancies is existing now.

“The government does not know how to utilize the services of the qualified pharmacists for the health sector. We have approached the government several times with various memoranda and complaints, but no action is taken on our demand or no kind of response is coming from the health minister or the health secretary. At least we should be recognized and considered for the health sector. The bureaucrats in the health sector do not know how the pharmacists can serve the society for their healthcare needs. A lot of qualified pharmacists are in the state without any job”, he said.
 
The pharmacists enrolled with the Tribunal is 3417 and the number of medical stores in the state is 6,400, according to report collected by JSPA from government source.
 
To a question, Dharmendra said his association does not want to support for renewal of licences to the already registered non-pharmacist wholesalers. He said the drug sale, either retail or wholesale, should be entrusted to the hands of qualified pharmacists.