#PharmacyCouncilOfIndia – A Body with wasted muscle! 😢
PCI governs but fails to enforce!
The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), established under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, was meant to uphold the standards of pharmacy education and practice in India.
But over the decades, while pharmacy evolved globally into a clinical and patient-centric profession, PCI has largely remained a regulator with outdated tools, limited vision and action short of reach.
At the heart of the problem is the Pharmacy Act itself — a law that has not kept pace with modern healthcare demands. It offers regulatory control but not reformative power. There is no legal push for advanced clinical training, integration into hospital systems, or patient care competencies. PCI continues to regulate based on a mid-20th-century model while the 21st-century healthcare system demands innovation.
Equally concerning is the composition of PCI’s council. Though it includes representatives from states, universities, and other bodies, the quality and commitment of members vary widely. Many are driven by institutional or political loyalties and it is a decoration for majority rather than professional advancement. As a result, council meetings become administrative rituals to clear 100+agenda, not platforms for national vision.
The approval and inspection process — central to PCI’s role — is also deeply flawed. Inspections often focus on paperwork over substance. Colleges with poor infrastructure, unqualified faculty, and negligible hospital exposure continue to get approvals.
Allegations of bias and irregularities have further eroded trust in the system.
Meanwhile, thousands of pharmacy graduates face unemployment or underutilization due to diluted quality, no direction, outdate Curricula . Clinical exposure is minimal, in total degree without skill
PCI has not done enough to push for curriculum reform, standardized hospital training, or alignment with national health priorities.
Instead of being a think-tank and thought leader, PCI often functions as a passive regulator.
It has failed to advocate strongly for pharmacy graduates roles in public health, disaster preparedness, or clinical care. It has missed collaborating opportunities with AICTE, NMC, and global pharmacy bodies. Even in times of health crises, the pharmacist’s potential role remains un-recognized underutilized — PCI has done little to break.
Above all, PCI lacks a National vision and Professional mission. It governs but does not lead. It regulates but does not inspire.
If pharmacy is to rise as a pillar of India’s healthcare system, PCI must transform — from a bureaucratic mode to a reformist force. This means amending the Act, raising the quality of its members, enforcing outcome-based education, and embedding pharmacy into the core of public health systems.
Until then, the profession will remain full of potential on paper and PCI, a symbol of how not to use it.!!!
Hope the message is clear.. 👍
Lets debate...
Pov: Bhagwan P. s
