The Kerala State Pharmacy Council has urged the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to conduct an enquiry into the working of a private pharmacy college in Tamil Nadu which have been issuing bogus diploma certificates to students without attending classes  by accepting money.

The council has made the complaint on finding that the certificates and other documents submitted by some applicants for registration with the Kerala Council as registered pharmacists are bogus and unreliable. A complaint was also filed with the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau at Thiruvananthapuram for a thorough probe in to the case.

In the complaint given to Archana Mudgal, registrar-cum-secretary, of the PCI on 25.5.2013 (copy is with Pharmabiz), the Registrar of the KSPC says that a pharmacy college in Tamil Nadu is giving admission to students for D. Pharm course from Kerala and other states by accepting large amount of money and allowing them to attend the yearly examinations without regular attendance in class.

The college is 200 KMs away from Kerala border, hence plenty of people working in retail and wholesale shops in Kerala are approaching the college for a diploma certificate just to register as a pharmacist. Majority of the students are from Kerala where a racket is on to get admission and procure certificates, the Registrar alleged.

While speaking to Pharmabiz, the president of the Kerala Council, B Rajan said, “On payment of huge sum of money, the college authorities will issue the diploma certificates to the students after two years of registration. The candidates registered for the course need not attend the classes or even visit the college, just pay the money either in one-time settlement or in instalments.” He said, without disclosing his identity, he had contacted the College authorities over telephone under the pretext of seeking admission for his relative, and was informed that the fee collected for each year is Rs. 40,000 and the student has to attend the yearly examination for which the management would help.

Quoting the pharmacy inspector who conducted the enquiry, the Council President said though the candidates are not attending the regular classes, their names are enrolled in the attendance register of the institution. Several people working in medical stores in Kerala and in Tamil Nadu might have acquired such certificates and got registered with the respective councils. Rajan said the council will conduct enquiry on all the certificates submitted by students who have completed their courses in pharmacy colleges outside Kerala.

Council’s letter to the PCI discloses a crucial fact that the candidates procured certificates from the diploma college in Tamil Nadu have not actually studied the course during the period of study mentioned in the certificates. They have no knowledge in pharmacy and do not know even the names of the text books prescribed for the diploma course. The enquiry also revealed that the certificate holders had never undergone any training in the institution wherein they claim to have been trained.

Kerala pharmacy council has sent a letter to the pharmacy college seeking confirmation for the certificates put under scanner, but the institution did not respond, the letter of the Council says.