The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has appealed to all the pharmaceutical associations, pharmacy professionals and pharmacy graduates to come together on one platform to press for a single regulating body for the pharmacy education in the country.

At present, the PCI and All India Technical Education Council (AICTE) at logger heads with regard to regulating the pharmacy education system in the country. Recently the PCI has even brought in certain regulations with regard to B.Pharm and M.Pharm courses to create checks and balances in the pharmacy education system.

At the same time with regard to allocation of seats, the PCI has accorded approval of seats in certain colleges. Similarly, AICTE which gives permission to engineering colleges and allocates seats is also exercising its powers and granting permissions for additional seats to pharmacy colleges. In view of this, there is confusion among the pharmacy colleges, students and common man alike as to which authority is actually responsible to ensure standards for the pharmacy education. “Dual regulatory authority to set standards will not serve the purpose of safeguarding and nurturing the pharmacy profession. In fact it is most disadvantageous and confusing among the colleges and students,” opined a senior member of Association of Pharmacy College Managements in Telangana.

According to Dr B Suresh, president of Pharmacy Council of India, the pharmacy education in the country needs to be strengthened and the profession must be protected from being degraded because of lack of quality and infrastructure facilities in the colleges.

“PCI has brought its own B.Pharm and M.Pharm regulations to create checks and balances. But during the past few years, unfortunately there is a confusion prevailing with regard to regulatory conflict between AICTE and PCI. The AICTE wants to control and set their own regulations and policy changes without consulting PCI and this is not acceptable because it is disadvantageous to pharmacy profession and the entire pharmacy education. From PCI point of view, we are proactive and extend our cooperation to work with AICTE, but they are in no mood to work with us and want to exercise authority which is unfortunate. I think it is time now for the pharmacy professionals to unite and say enough is enough and need to press for a single regulatory body for the pharmacy education in the country,” said the PCI president.

With regard to delegation of powers to State Pharmacy Councils, the PCI has plans to amend the Pharmacy Council Act and strengthen the state councils which will empower them to set their own standards regulating the pharmacy practice and education in their respective states. “In fact, the recent pharmacy practice amendment has given additional powers to the State Councils to regulate the profession in the states. In the coming days we are looking forward for a single regulating authority, i.e. PCI, because the pharmacy profession is very important and it needs to be governed and regulated by people with pharmacy knowledge and experience. AICTE talks only about numbers and seats. It has no agenda to improve and nurture the pharmacy education. Therefore we are trying to resolve the issue at the ministry level and soon we are expecting PCI will prevail with the support of pharmacy professions,” said Suresh.