The department of pharmaceutical sciences at the Birla Institute of Technology at Ranchi in Jharkhand has urged the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) that graduates and post-graduates in pharmacy (B.Pharm and M.Pharm) with adequate experience in drug industry/drugs control department/pharmacy education/drug research institutions should be recruited as technical staff in the DoP.

The Birla Institute has given this suggestion because the DoP has invited comments from all stakeholders for finalisation of Recruitment Rule for Technical Posts in the DoP vide Ref. No.12025/56/2008-PI-III/ Estt.dt 7th March 2016. The main technical posts in the department are 'Additional Industrial Advisor', 'deputy Industrial Advisor' And 'assistant Industrial Advisor'.

“In the notification, the proposed qualification for the Industry Advisor posts was different from B Pharm and M. Pharm. The policy framers have not properly considered the specialization of pharmacy education and their detailed curriculum. Pharmacy graduates and post-graduates with adequate experiences in industry are the best suitable candidates for the posts of Additional Industrial Advisor, Deputy Industrial Advisor and Assistant Industrial Advisor in the department of pharmaceuticals”, said Dr. Roop Narayan Gupta, professor at the department of pharmaceutical sciences at the Birla Institute.

According to him, the duration of B.Pharm course is 4 years after class XII and it is a technical course similar to B.Tech/B.E. course, and is controlled by AICTE. Further, M. Pharm course in Pharmacy is of two years duration and it is also similar to M.Tech./M.E course and is controlled by AICTE. M.Pharm has specialization in pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, pharmaceutical engineering, pharmaceutical management, hospital pharmacy, pharmacy practice, etc.

Dr. Gupta’s letter to the under secretary, DoP elaborates the detailed syllabus of the B. Pharm course to substantiate that the course is similar and equal to any other technical course. The students of the graduate course are taught pharmaceutical management, pharmaceutical engineering, engineering drawing, pharmaceutical technology, pharmacy jurisprudence, human anatomy & physiology, microbiology, pharmaceutics, pharmacology, toxicology, bioassay, medicinal chemistry, clinical research, pharmaceutical analysis, instrumental drug analysis, synthetic medicinal, biotechnology & fermentation products, industrial pharmacy, pathophysiology, pharmacognosy, natural products, hospital pharmacy, drug delivery system, bio-pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, product development, quality assurance, pharmaceutical administration, chemo-therapeutic agents. physiological chemistry, pharmacovigilance, environmental sciences, mathematics, fundamentals of computer etc,

Gupta specifically mentions in his letter that for getting better result in any category suitable and properly qualified and experienced persons should be appointed in each post.