The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) strongly opposes the ideas which arise through some recent news indicates that there have been discussion regarding enabling the unqualified persons to be "pharmacists" by initiating some training courses. IPA firmly stated that medical stores/pharmacies should be run only in presence and under supervision of qualified, registered pharmacists.
IPA notified to Shri J.P.Nadda, Honorable Minister of Health & Family Welfare, in writing to end the speculation that unqualified person can handle medical stores after undergoing some refresher course or training.
Certain trade bodies in our country demands to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to train unqualified persons and license them so as to enable them to be "the pharmacists" to run the medical stores/pharmacies.
Kaushik Desai, Secretary of IPA said, "A Pharmacist, who is first point of contact for the sick people is most needed to guide the patients. Pharmacists have education about pharmacology and other aspects of the medicines and thus are professionals with medicine expertise. In India, the role of the pharmacist is slowly evolving from a trader to a professional and its much needed to have policies and environment to strengthen this role. Instead of it, the recent news indicates that there have been discussion regarding enabling the unqualified persons to be "pharmacists" by initiating some training courses and we strongly oppose these ideas and want to firmly state that medical stores/pharmacies should be run only in presence and under supervision of qualified, registered pharmacists."
There are almost 1500 pharmacy institutions producing more than 100,000 pharmacists in our country. If in some parts of the country there is any shortage of pharmacists perceived, then the situation needs to be analyzed critically to find solutions but making unqualified persons "qualified" would be an extremely dangerous trend, which would go totally against the right to proper health of the citizens of the country and will certainly prove to be a move that is detrimental to the public health.
IPA encourages health minister to put an end to the speculations of starting such short courses, and take firm steps to overcome the problem of shortage of pharmacists in certain locations, and ensure strict enforcement of the law across the country that pharmacists will always be present at all medical stores/pharmacies while medicines are dispensed.
