With a view to ensure effective services to the patients, the Maharashtra State Chemists & Druggists Association (MSCDA) wants the State and Central governments to develop a training module that will focus on training and imparting the importance of patient counseling to the future and existing pharmacists.

This demand comes in the wake of the complete disarrayed state of the pharmacists across the country who hardly have any experience or knowledge about patient handling and counseling in spite of having requisite degree. The association pointed out that this is an important issue that needs to be addressed at the earliest to ensure that they do not lose out on opportunities to their international counterparts who are eying the Indian market.

According to Vaijnath Eknath Jaguste, office bearer of MSCDA, over the years there have been increasing pressure on them to ensure that they were at par with their competitors when it comes to patient services. However, he pointed out that apart from the initiatives taken by the association to train the pharmacists on this ground, hardly any efforts have been put in by the government to improve the present situation.

“Unfortunately, as on today, our government and educational system fail to understand that patient counseling is one of the most important element for measuring the competency level of a pharmacist. The role of the pharmacists is not just to dispense the medicines to the patients and signing on the receipt etc. but also to develop a better relation with them by providing thorough and relevant drug information and developing a strong bond with the patients,” he added.

Further, he stressed that it is ironic on how the government had been keeping a blind eye on this for so long when patient safety and their well being should have been their main prerogative. To address this issue, the association had already embarked on a mission way back in 2005 to train and groom the pharmacists to be an effective counselor by training them on advising the patients in a effective ways to use medicines.

The association stated that for the well being of the patients and to safeguard their interest they will be glad to work with the government on exploring the possibility of infusing the same training module in the pharmacy curriculum as well. Jagusute believes endorsing this programme or a similar programme in the lines of the same will enable the pharmacists to deliver effectively.