In order to help the students who are pursuing courses in pharmacy and those who have completed diploma, degree or PG, the State Pharmacy Council in Kerala (KSPC) has launched a 12-hour career information and guidance centre (CIGC) at its head office in the state capital.

Along with this guidance centre, the Council has taken the initiative to open a library with most modern reference books in pharmacy and allied subjects which will help the students pursing pharmacy programs and researches.

CIGC,started at Thiruvananthapuram is the first information centre started by a state pharmacy council in India, said Dr B Suresh, president of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), while inaugurating the centre. According to him, Kerala state pharmacy council is the best pharmacy council in India with lot of programmes and schemes for the promotion of pharmacy education and profession.

The inauguration of the pharmacy library was done by Prof. Dr. Chinnaswamy, executive member of the PCI.

According to B Rajan, president of Kerala State Pharmacy Council, KSPC’s Pharmacy Library has a good collection of pharmacy books and books on medicines. Reference books for all kinds of drug information, medical information, copies of thesis by research scholars, Indian pharmacopoeia, British pharmacopoeia, National Formulary of India (NFI) and copies of Materia Medica of all branches of medical systems are there in the library.

Rajan said students who have completed various pharmacy courses can get cracking with their careers by availing information from the CIGC. Those who want to go for higher studies can get proper guidance with information on various courses, eligibility criteria and norms for admissions to various institutions and universities, scholarship options and job opportunities. From far off places, students and pharmacists can get information on mobile phone, for which they can make call to 9446321228 which is live on day time.

In 2014, KSPC introduced health insurance scheme, ‘Arogya Suraksha’, for registered pharmacists. So far it has disbursed Rs. 4 crore against 600 insurance claims.