Why no recognition to Pharmacists?
1. Pharmacists who have served have not proved their special knowledge and proved to be indispensable in their foot prints in any sector.
2. Lets realize that Pharmacy has never been and is not a special course as was projected by PCI and IPA. It is like any other science course.
3. They get recognition on their worth.
#WeAndOurWorth
The PCI has milled out 4 courses in pharmacy and lakhs and lakhs of Pharmacists from Dpharm to PharmD since over 7 decades.
The D pharm was started supported by regulatory under a strong belief that statuory regulation (Section 42 of Ph Act and 65 of D&C Act ) would take care of the emplyment prospects.
PCI did not have any demographic data.
Huge figures (!) calculated on non existant ratio of population against pharmacist was and is being puforth fom the Ac chambers to convince the need but the same zeal was not sustained to ensure professional empowered service at the ground level.
Then onwards, the PCI and the Regultory never looked back to understand the purpose or looked down at the ground level to understand and #Audit their performance and achievement.
Tricky situation is there is no #FeasibilityStudy report and #BenchMarks in PCI planning and implementation to compare and audit the performance and achievement.
Because of this there has been sequence of setbacks and onslaught on the profession in every sector including academy:
1. The legal provisions instead of being used to empower pharmacist to provide professional service to the public has become an additional means obstacles for exploitation and corruption.
2. The reported existence of more licensed Chemists, Warehoses and hospital dispenseries than the no of Reg Ph in the State is a big evidence to say regulatory is malfunctioning and is abetting a punishable offence.
3.The students who are coming out as pharmaciists with great dreams are leading a miserable life due to unemplyment and under-employment.
4. This has lead to 'Renting' of their certificate so that they can earn additionally in some other jobs, as the professional misconduct is well accommodated by the regulatory.
5. The Indian pharma academe is deaf to repeated cry or call of the industry and healthcare that they need much better knowledgeable and skilled and smart pharmacists.
6. New courses are started with no basic feasibility study and understanding of the required course content and without involving the key stakeholders like MCI, hospital pharmacists and Industrial experts.
7. B pharms are failing to compete with BSc / MSc Biotechnology in industry.
8. B pharms and M pharms. lack basic knowledge of healthcare needs and market knowledge and logistics technique.
9. All fail in marketing task and corporate employment interview due to over-dumb atmosphere in the campus and lack of smartness on one hand and they quit the job being unable to match with required performance and its audit.
- Only safe job appears to be Teaching where performance is not a criteria and seldom audited. One is safe as long as he can load the marksheet.
10 Online trading and the thinking in some quarters for part time pharmacists are nothing but "' FlSHING-IN-TOROUBLED-WATER'.
11. The legally mandatorily needed Pharmacists are not getting positions and empowerment in the healthcare and regulatory has been failing to support the empowerment of the pharmacists.
12. The National Health Policy document has ignored the profession.
13. Pharmacy is an orphaned profession at the National and State management level with dumb pharmacists at the helm of affairs who have developped acquired passion to talk on global scenario than on the local ground reality.
Well I am feeling guilty of playing 'Blame game'.
Karnataka state was the only state with Hospital Pharmacy having DPharm, BPharm and PGs in health sector since 1974.
It was a best opportunity to understand the reality and needs. But, none of us were taken into confidence and our knowledge and skill input was not taken.
Irony was the State council and State Govt nomination to PCI had become a monopoly of Drugs Control department and their subsidiary - The Traders.
Dear PCI, State Councils & Drugs Regulators,
Please understand my appeal to wakeup and workout for the millions of children who have and are becoming pharmacists and are seeing DEAD WALL before them.
Otherwise even God will not forgive
Good wishes.
POV : Bhagwan PS
Retired Deputy Director Pharmacy, Karnataka, India
