In the backdrop of the demands made by scores of pharmacy professionals and members of state pharmacy councils, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is now actively considering a comprehensive amendment of the Pharmacy Act 1948 to prescribe qualifications for president and vice-president of state pharmacy councils and in appointing registrars.

Once it is approved by the council and comments are obtained from all stakeholders, it will be forwarded to the central government for its consideration, said Dr B Suresh, president of the PCI.

All sorts of professions related to pharmacy are held and led by pharmacists or pharmacy professionals, but the Pharmacy Act does not provide exclusivity in the provisions of the Act for leadership of the state pharmacy councils and registrar posts. A change in this regard is required for which an amendment is necessary, he said.

Dr Suresh was responding to a memorandum submitted to the PCI by the pharmacy academic expert from Jharkhand, Dr RN Gupta, requesting the central council to prescribe basic qualifications for persons to hold the positions of president, vice-president and registrar of a state pharmacy council. Dr. Gupta wrote to the PCI in the wake of the situation existing in West Bengal at present. There, the president and the registrar of the pharmacy council are not registered pharmacists. He argues that these posts should be reserved for registered pharmacists only. Otherwise, other states will also follow the policy adopted by WB government.

As per the existing rules, any member of a state council can become the president or the vice-president. Similarly, the Act allows a state government to appoint a non-pharmacist as registrar of the council. Pharmacy Act does not state any specific qualification to become a registrar of a council. Now, several state pharmacy councils have made the demand that the leadership of the state pharmacy councils should be from registered pharmacist community.

“The proposal for a comprehensive amendment of the Pharmacy Act is under the active consideration of the council and steps in the direction of making specific provisions for leadership, and also fine tuning of the qualifications for the appointment of registrar, are being discussed. Once the necessary amendments are approved by the council and after obtaining the comments from the stakeholders as required by the Act, the same would be forwarded to the government of India for consideration,” president of PCI informed Pharmabiz.

While talking about the technicalities in dealing the matter, he said the state pharmacy councils are established under the powers provided under the Pharmacy Act 1948. The composition of the council provides for the representatives of all stakeholders who are associated with the profession, besides officials from the state government who will be actively implementing the various functions and objectives of the state councils. Similar composition also does exist in the nomination of members to Central council of the PCI.