#BlunderHasHappened - Time to wakeup
The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), as the statutory body governing pharmacy education and practice in India, introduced the Pharm.D program in 2008 with the vision of integrating pharmacists into clinical settings as vital members of the healthcare team. However, despite its ambitious goals, the PCI bears partial responsibility for the lack of opportunities faced by Pharm.D graduates today.
Where PCI went wrong:
1. Inadequate Stakeholder Engagement:
The program was introduced without a strong framework involving collaboration with major healthcare stakeholders such as the Medical Council of India (now NMC), hospitals, healthcare policy makers, and employers. This resulted in a lack of formal recognition of Pharm.D professionals in clinical roles within hospitals.
2. Poor Integration with Healthcare System:
PCI failed to ensure the creation of structured job roles for Pharm.D graduates in both public and private healthcare systems. Unlike MBBS or BDS programs, there was no mandate or roadmap to integrate Pharm.Ds into government hospitals or primary health centers.
3. Insufficient Policy Advocacy:
PCI did not effectively lobby for Pharm.D graduates to be recognized as Clinical Pharmacists or Pharmacotherapy Specialists under national health schemes or in state public health systems. Consequently, there are limited government posts specifically designed for Pharm.D graduates.
4. Lack of Outcome-Based Evaluation:
PCI has not periodically assessed the program outcomes in terms of employment, career progression, or role recognition of Pharm.D graduates. This has allowed gaps to widen between academic training and real-world practice.
5. Overexpansion Without Planning:
Many colleges were allowed to start Pharm.D programs without adequate hospital tie-ups or infrastructure, leading to variable quality of training and overproduction of graduates without matching demand in the healthcare sector.
6. No Defined Scope of Practice:
PCI has not succeeded in securing a legal and professional scope of practice for Pharm.D graduates that is distinct from other pharmacy qualifications, leading to confusion and underutilization of their clinical skills.
While PCI’s intention was commendable, its execution lacked foresight, planning, and collaboration.
The responsibility now lies with PCI to rectify this through policy advocacy, defining roles for Pharm.D graduates, ensuring integration with national health systems, and creating a viable career pathway to prevent further professional disillusionment and brain drain.
Government of India should intervene, dismiss the Deadwood's and appoint an administrator of IAS cadre to save the Profession in public interest.
#PMO, #HFW
Pov: Bhagwan P. S
