The Tamil Nadu chapter of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) will conduct this year’s ‘pharmacy week celebration’ in a unique manner which may turn the retail pharmacy outlets in and around the city as ‘counselling centres’ to educate the public on the Dos and Don’ts of medication use, on Wednesday, November 19.

However, the association will hold a seminar on the 22nd of this month to celebrate the 53rd Pharamacy Week Celebration in a grand manner. It will be inaugurated by Dr V K Subburaju, secretary, department of pharmaceuticals, government of India.

On November 19, five hundred pharmacists in separate groups will visit one thousand community pharmacies and spend two hours in each outlet in order to give awareness to the patients on the effects and side-effects of the medicines they take. They will give awareness about the use, over-use, under-use and mis-use of medicines to the patients visiting the pharmacies. IPA has selected the pharmacists from pharmacy colleges in the city and they will stand in the medical stores along with the retail pharmacists wearing pharmacy coats. The association targets a minimum of ten thousand people to be educated on the day on the use of antibiotics, anti-allergics, and other medicines, said J Jayaseelan, secretary of TN IPA.

The theme of this year’s Pharmacy Week Celebration is ‘Responsible use of Medicines, Role of Pharmacists’.

He said IPA has decided to conduct this awareness program this year because of a news report that even the doctors who prescribe for their patients do not know the side effects of the medicines they recommend. The aim of IPA is to educate the public about the use of medicines, their side-effects, adverse drugs reactions (ADRs), period of consumption of each drug, how to keep the drugs at home, advantages and disadvantages of medication use and problems due to over dose etc.

“Till last year, the association was celebrating the ‘pharmacy week’ by holding a rally in a public place or arranging one meeting in some hotels. But such programmes were not aimed at educating the public. This year onwards, IPA is coming into the society with a mission to educate the public on how to use drugs safely and how to prevent their side effects. Our young pharmacists will share knowledge about drugs and their usage with the patients”, Jayaseelan added.

The class of visiting pharmacists includes students of M Pharm, Pharm D and Research Scholars in Pharmacy. They will visit the pharmacies in two-member groups. The retail pharmacists in the drugs stores will also assist them.

All the community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies including Apollo Hospitals, Fortis Hospitals, government hospitals and pharmacies in the private medical colleges will be called at, sources informed.