‘Rule 71 and 76 of Drugs and Cosmetics Acts 1940 should be deleted’
Today we have the option of better accessibility of drugs in the market, yet we are still juggling to get competent resources. For a single drug approval, pharmaceutical companies need to meet so many quality parameters and other associated approvals. But when it reaches the market and the end consumer, the stockist fails to maintain a supply chain.
The key reason behind this is Rules 71 and 76 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Acts 1940 as well as Rule 64. Rule 64 requires that a registered pharmacist needs to pass the matriculation examination or an equivalent examination from a recognised board having four year’s experience in dealing with subjects related to drugs or hold a degree of a recognised university with one year experience in dealing with drugs.I feel Rule 71 and 76 should be deleted from the Drugs and Cosmetics Acts 1940 because they specify that that a graduate in science of a university established in India by law or has an equivalent qualification recognised and notified by the central government for such purpose.
If we amend these requirements then I strongly feel that entire pharmacist community of India will get employment if the said amendments come into action. There will be no more scarcity of pharmacists and students will take active part in the profession if they can be compensated in a systematic manner. The Rules were made during the 1940s, to cope with the scarcity of pharmacists in the country but today’s scenario is completely different. India has the highest number of pharmacists in the world. However, they are not willing to come into the profession as the industry is not rewarding them properly and hiring science graduates at a lower pay scale.
I strongly emphasise that qualifications for getting a wholesaler’s license should be only given to registered pharmacists. If we work and resolve the above highlighted issues, then surely pharmacists will have a better future.
– Atul Nasa, Drugs Control Officer at Drugs Control Department New Delhi and President, Indian Pharmacy Graduates’ Association
‘Shortage of medicines, health at risk and benefits of NLEM are not passed on to the consumer’
Shortage of essential medicines on retail shelves after the implementation of new pharma policy is a great cause of concern. The channel partners are duty bound to ensure abundant availability of all essential drugs across the country. Supplies of widely used medicines such as vitamin –C (ascorbic acid), atorvastatin –an important medicine to lower elevated blood cholesterol levels, pyrazinamide- an essential drug for treatment of tuberculosis in intensive phase, Cetzine (cetrizine 10 mg) and Ceftum (cefuroxime) of GSK have been affected.
Channel partners seems to be following rules which suit their community purely from commercial perspective leaving behind the Government’s national objectives of affordability and availability of essential medicines. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), citing the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013, has communicated that no drug formulation can be sold to a consumer at a price exceeding the one notified by the Government or the one printed on the medicine pack. Citing Para 28 of the DPCO 2013, the NPPA communication said that no manufacturer can refuse to sell a drug to a distributor while no distributor can withhold the sale of a drug to a retailer and no distributor or stockiest can decline a consumer planning to purchase the medicine. The DPCO 2013 stipulates a trade margin of 16 per cent to retailers while to wholesalers the industry offers a trade margin of eight per cent on price-controlled drugs, continuing with the earlier practice. For medicines out of price control, trade channels continue to get margins of 10 per cent and 20 per cent as earlier.
Representation from the industry association and reports received indicate that there is a disruption in supplies of key medicines due to withholding sale of certain medicines by stockists and retailers protesting against the trade margins, the letter said. Since the implementation of the new pharma policy, a tussle has been on between pharma companies and trade channels over margins, with stockists reducing their orders leading to scarcity of widely prescribed medication like painkillers, anti-infectives, cardiac drugs and antibiotics. There may be a potential shortage of essential medicines on account of lower orders placed by distributors.
The drug pricing regulator, NPPA, in a strongly worded communication to pharma companies and distribution channels, has warned that the Essential Commodities Act may be invoked against those who disrupt the supply and distribution of essential medicines.
– Vijay Bhalla, Director, Lloyd School of Pharmacy of Greater Noida
‘Need to create a new generation of pharmacists, modernise the pharmacy profession’
There has been haphazard and uncontrolled growth in pharma education in India, without proper rationale and actual needs as per manpower assessments. The private sector accounts for more than 70 per cent of pharmacy education. I suggest the following ‘five’ major steps.
- It is imperative that the profession of pharmacy has a single regulatory control and all powers be vested with Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).
- Patient-oriented pharmacy is the backbone of this profession all over the world, where as in our country, we have not been able to nurture it and grow. There is an urgent necessity to ‘create space’ for senior and qualified pharmacists in government hospitals and other institutions.
- Pharmacy courses need to be outcome based at the unitary level of every subject in the curriculum, with more focus on development of skills, and direct application in practice/industry/market. There needs to be more clarity and preciseness at all levels and a clear cut focus emerging eventually at the end.
- Institutions like NIPER need to keep up the standards and tradition in accordance with the mainstream profession. They should be managed better by recruiting qualified staff at all levels and not be run in an ad hoc manner as is prevalent now
- BPharm graduates should be considered for all competitive exams including by UPSC, to increase placement potential.
In conclusion, we have to create a new generation of pharmacists and modernise the profession of pharmacy as per current needs of pharma industry and healthcare delivery. We have to have a strong placement potential for talented students for which the Government has to take initiative and the onus.
– Prof (Dr) Roop Krishen Khar (Kilam) Principal, BS Anangpuria Institute of Pharmacy, Faridabad
‘Professional diplomas during graduation will bridge the industry-academics gap’
There are around 15 kinds of job opportunities in the pharmacy profession. You may not get a job, place, company or salary as per your expectations but you will get a job as per your knowledge, skill and attitude to work at the ground level. In the pharma industry today, a beginner’s salary may range from Rs 8000 to Rs 25000, depending on companies’ strength and students’ professional skills. But, once you start performing in the pharma industry you can add several zeros to your salary. A good performer, in five to ten years can take home a salary of Rs 5 to 10 lakhs per month, along with all other perks. Initially, students should not look for salary but aim to get inside in the pharmacy profession, develop professional skills and think of enhancing their performance. Performance is the only criteria in this world to achieve every dream. We should not compare ourself with other professionals because comparison will always make us unhappy and we are in the business of making people healthy and happy by producing quality medicine and providing quality care. Identify which job is suited to your personality, love that job, develop a passion for it and see how life becomes more beautiful with this attitude.
Ethics and professionalism are very important qualities that every pharmacist should have and can be developed. We, existing pharma professionals have to set an example, especially teachers in pharmacy colleges in front of their students, so that they learn from it. Professionalism starts with wearing a white apron, cap and gloves while doing practicals. Documentation habit can be developed during practicals and completion of projects in a library. Students should be involved in doing professional presentations and behavioural skills should be demonstrated by conducting workshops. You should look and behave like a professional since we belong to the pharmacy profession.
Sincerity, regularity, time management must be imbibed during college days. Students with such exposure will work in the drug stores, hospitals and industry, demonstrating professionalism at every stage. To develop ethics, guest lectures on case studies in pharmaceuticals, successful stories of pharma professionals, programmes and workshops on positive attitude should be conducted. The behaviour of teachers such as avoiding partiality, showing transparency and standing for principles of life can accelerate the process of making students ethical and help inculcate passion and love for pharmacy in them.
Basically we are always attracted towards developed countries where they have excellent infrastructure, better lifestyle, and people are respected for their knowledge and skill. During our time also students were going abroad for further studies and getting jobs. Nowadays admissions are easy because of loan facilities but getting a job abroad is becoming difficult in healthcare industry. Jobs are available in pharmacovigilance and medical writing but not that many jobs are available in the pharma industry abroad. Jobs are also available in India with specific skills. Pharmacy education in India is strengthening their standards by starting a Pharma D programme from Pharmacy Council of India but it will take some time to reach the global quality level. We should also think of our country and our industries’ requirement first and match our core syllabus to develop competent pharmacists.
After independence our pharma industry was in development stage so our syllabus was developed to cater to the need of pharma industry in production, quality control and regulatory. We have not given importance to pharma care in hospital and community pharmacy. Since now our pharma industry is in advanced stage with more than 182 plants approved by US FDA, we should think of developing pharma care which is the weak link in the pharmacy business.
Students of D Pharm and M Pharm Pharmacy Practice should start as professional pharmacists in hospital and medical stores with patient counselling, identifying drug – drug interaction, reporting to doctor and create awareness of pharma care in patients and people. They should become owners to run drug store professionally and ethically.
Every hospital there should be a professional pharmacist and ownership of drug store should be handed over to pharmacist only. To continue the license as a pharmacist continuing pharmacy education should be compulsory and at each healthcare centre pharmacist should be compulsory with professional practice. Wholesale distribution license should be given to pharmacist only. So we have to change rules and regulations of pharmacy profession to bring this professionalism into practice. We should have passion and love for our profession as a pharmacist and we should not sell our profession by giving Reg. Pharmacist Certificate for Rs 3000/- or 5000/- to traders or non pharmacy owners, who brought this pharmacy profession down in minds of common people and society. All drug store should be air conditioned for stability of drugs and any Pharmacist should work in drug store for not more that eight hours and should wear a white apron with reg. pharmacist no. and every drug store should have a separate patient counselling section or room. No scheduled drug should be given without prescription. Change is the only stability and we have to bring this change to match the standard of global practice to serve humanity.
Presently, pharmacy education is unable to match the advancements in the pharma sciences because we do not have a real pharmacy academy – industry cell at the national level to continuously interact on these fronts and suggest changes required every year to academic institutions.
As a President of APTI we are going to make this cell which will not only make suggestions on the syllabus but also orient teachers through professionals to teach theseeadvancements. Every two years we should send teachers to the pharma industry for two months of practical training to acquire new skills. Pharma industry should depute 10 per cent of their staff to teach and conduct practicals in pharmacy colleges for at least one month. We should come out with specialisation at final year B. Pharm with six months theory and six months practical training to develop skills in pharmacy students. Doing professional diplomas during graduation will bridge the gap between academics and industry to make students competent to take responsibility in industry. Revolution can happen with change and change can be brought by people with authority to change the existing structure.
– Dr Mahesh Burande, President, Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India
‘PCI should be made an independent body’
The proposed one year pharmacology course for non MBBS doctors will not serve the purpose of solvinghealth problems and will not be good for the Indian pharma industry. Pharmacist associations like Indian Hospital Pharmacists Association has maed representations to the Government that such type of course may be conducted for those who are holding D.Pharm/B.Pharm and they will be ready to serve the rural areas. The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is producing more than 50,000 pharmacy graduates, 40,000 diploma holders 8000 post graduates in pharmacy, 2500 Ph.D in pharmacy and more than 4000 PharmD every year.
To attract the young talent in the pharmacy profession, we have to create a number of jobs in the Government and the corporate sector and in hospitals with a lot of incentives and good salary, according to the pay commissions notified by the Government of India. The private companies can be persuaded to give attractive salary packages after graduation or post graduation in pharmacy. Similarly Government hospitals can create more number of posts like store office, pharmacy manager, drug officer and may also focus on the clinical aspects of pharmacy. In this way, young talent can be attracted towards pharmacy profession.
There is no doubt that DPCO 2013 has reduced margins of profit for chemists and druggists but National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is looking at this aspect and the whole issue will be resolved by frequent meetings with chemists and druggists and the other agencies involved. As a result, patients may avail medicines at an affordable rate.
The supply of anti-malarial and anaemic medicines to Government-run hospitals are not being dispensed by the pharmacists but are being distributed by orderlies or nurses and it is cannot certain that proper dosage of medicines are being given to the patients. The associations are in touch with the Government to create a number of posts for the pharmacists in these centres, so that the proper dosage of medicines or affordable medicines may be given to the patients.
The PCI has also framed pharmacy practice course and submitted to the Government for its implementation wherein the definition of a pharmacist, cadre post of pharmacist, duties of pharmacist have been mentioned.
The PCI has also suggested that the Government of India should upgrade the qualification for registration from DPharm to BPharm as the minimum registrable qualification in the Pharmacy Act, 1948 and for those who are holding DPharm qualification. The PCI has framed a bridge course of two to three years duration to be run in various colleges notified by the it. As a result, degree holders will do proper justice to patients in terms of patient counselling, drug – drug reaction, drug food interaction and pharmacovigilance.
The success of policies depends upon the implementation of various schemes pending with the government and also involving PCI in framing such policies. Institutions of higher education like the NIPER’s and fixing of prices of various bulk drugs and formulated drugs are under the control of Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers (Department of Pharmaceuticals), wherein the Ministry of Health and the PCI is not aware of such things. PCI should be made an independent body and there should be no dual control of AICTE as this not applicable in the Medical Council of India and Dental and Nurses Council of India.
– S L Nasa, Registrar, Delhi Pharmacy Council
(Compiled by Usha Sharma and Shalini Gupta)
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