To bring pharmacists effectively into healthcare fold, the existing syllabus of pharmacy courses must be revamped and need to be added with public health and preventive health concepts, opined Dr. B. Suresh, president of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).

Speaking to Pharmabiz on the sidelines of the 68th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC), Dr. Suresh felt that at present, though there are more than 1 million registered pharmacists in the country, they have not been involved effectively into the healthcare fold. The main reason for this is lack of subject knowledge on public health and preventive health among the pharmacists. If the present pharmacy courses are revamped and incorporated with new curriculum, the pharmacists can act both as a healthcare adviser as well as a drug dispenser. “It is high time that the pharmacists across the country must unite, stand as a one unit and sound high. We need to upgrade ourselves constantly and change dynamically to fill up the huge void of healthcare in the country. If we are complacent, there are others who will try to steel our profession,” said the PCI president.

While referring to recent government’s proposal to provide skill development training to unqualified persons working in pharmacy stores and upgrade them to work in place of a qualified pharmacists, the PCI president noted, “Certain chemists and druggists associations for their own profits are lobbying with the health ministry to bring in new amendments to the laws governing the Drugs and Cosmetic Act and Pharmacy Act so as to give way for unqualified persons to dispense the drugs. We will fight tooth and nail against any such amendments which will undermine the interests of pharmacists. We have already spoken to the health ministry, and registered our protest against any such move. Instead we have suggested them to amend medical laws to incorporate qualified pharmacists into the healthcare stream to guide and advise patients relating to drug dosage, drug administration and adverse reaction,” informed Dr Suresh.

He said if laws need to be amended it must be done in favour of qualified pharmacists, but not in favour of unqualified persons working in the drug stores. To overcome the shortage of healthcare workers in the country, government needs to train and give skill development about healthcare concepts and pull the already qualified pharmacy professionals into the healthcare fold and empower them to guide the patients with the medication and drug administration.