With full support of the Indian Pharmacists Association Tamil Nadu branch (TNIPA), the state pharmacy council (TNPC) in a representation to the state government wanted inclusion of its president as senate member to the Dr MGR Medical University. The university is conducting medical and para-medical courses under Tamil Nadu government.

The state branch of the IPA will also approach the government raising the same demand for which a decision was taken at its state meeting held at Erodu last month.

At present the senate of the university is represented by the presidents of Tamil Nadu Medical Council, Homoeopathy Medical Council and Siddha Medical Council.  But the president of the Tamil Nadu pharmacy council is left out while constituting the regulations, they alleged.

There are 42 pharmacy colleges in Tamil Nadu to impart pharmacy education and most of them are affiliated to Dr MGR Medical University which is awarding degrees to pharmacy graduates like those of allopathic medicine, alternative medicines and other medical & para-medical sciences, says the representation given to the government.

Further, the pharmacy council wishes to make a demand that the government should not nominate non-registered pharmacists or send non-pharmacy people as ex-officio member to the council. All the members, elected or nominated, must be registered pharmacists.

According to sources, the pharmacists association (TNIPA) in their supporting representation, will include some other demands focusing safety of drugs that are sold through the government and private pharmacies. They hold the opinion that since the new drugs are very powerful chemical molecules with equally toxic reactions, they should be monitored regularly both at the out-patient and in-patient levels.  So government should take the initiative to form ADR committees in all the government hospitals at the state and the district levels consisting physicians, pharmacists, nurses and consumer organisations.

TN IPA state branch organiser Dr T Elango said utilising the potential of clinical pharmacists, those qualified the Pharm D course, government should establish clinical pharmacy departments (CPD) in the head quarter level hospitals and in the leading private hospitals. “In developed countries, more deaths are detected due to drugs because of their abuse and misuse.  Evaluation of drug interaction & bio-availability and estimation of drugs are necessary to safeguard the patients who take the drugs.  So, by establishing clinical pharmacy departments in hospitals, we can avoid drug induced diseases and other possible situations of deaths due to ADRs”, he said.  

Sources in the TNIPA said violation of pharmacy act and D&C Rules is occurred in many government hospitals in Tamil Nadu by handling drugs by persons other than registered pharmacists. The only solution to this illegal dispensing is to appoint qualified pharmacists in all the hospital pharmacies. In many government hospitals, primary health centres and in dispensaries, several posts of pharmacists are lying vacant.