Two to six, where is the fix?

There is a debate going on in the circle of highly qualified pharmacists, especially among the pharmacy teachers, that, what should be the minimum duration of pharmacist course. This is intensified after the Pharmacy Council of India announced its decision of splitting B. Pharm course into B. Pharm Industrial and B. Pharm Clinical courses.  But there are lot of voices for and few against the proposal. Some even suggesting entirely a new course. Let us discuss the pros and cons of all those views in brief.

Two years pharmacist course
The people for it are conservatives or self-centered who do not want to disturb existing [for more than half a Century!] 2 years D. Pharm course. They are obviously not for the upgradation of the profession, as it may affect their business and profit! Resisting all move to upgrade the course with all their might and influence for decades, these people want to maintain status co. Now knowingly or unknowingly National Education Policy [NEP] also promotes their interest and PCI has announced it is for continuation of D. Pharm course and those who leave the B. Pharm course abruptly in the middle [after 2 years of course!] will be given Diploma in Pharmacy as per NEP.  Is it not a super idea? Will they give similar diploma for the students who leave after second year MBBS? When there can be semi-baked pharmacists, why not half cooked doctors? They will make an excellent pair married to serve and save humanity! PCI which has announced earlier, its intension to abolish D. Pharm is now back tracking, simply to please their masters in the government by showing they have faithfully implemented NEP.  It is more important than upgrading the profession, you know! 

It may be apt to quote here a para from my earlier article “Boot is on the other leg, come forward PCI” published in Pharmabiz dated 9.12.2020. “If a country is progressing means, it should upgrade its professional services by a diploma to degree to post graduate to doctoral to post-doctoral professional. Instead, we will retain all these level professional means where is the logic? Look at the developed countries, in pharmacy profession, they have moved from one year diploma to 6 years Pharm. D or M. Pharm [and stopping all short-term courses]. That is progress! Just to justify its action of prolonging D. Pharm, PCI is hiding behind NEP, we believe.” Remember it was written almost 5 years back!

Three years course
While the discussion was going on for the upgradation of pharmacy course, there came few voices to increase the duration of D. Pharm to 3 years. Since the basic qualification for admission to D. Pharm is raised to +2 or Pre-degree course, introducing a 3-year course will make the students eligible for a degree, similar to degrees offered by arts colleges and universities, they argue. Is it not upgradation, they ask. Seems to be logically correct, but note that this degree will be inferior to already existing 4-year B. Pharm degree and actually it is a degradation! Nowhere a professional degree is offered after a 3-year course. Think of Engineering, Nursing, Physiotherapy, etc. Also, this degree will create unnecessary confusion, competition and collision among pharmacists.

Four years course
It is already existing [B. Pharm] and struggling to meet fully the requirements of both industrial sector and clinical sector. That is because students are studying both these diverse subjects and consequently mastering none. Simply it is the story of rider of two horses, master of none! When Pharmaceutical science develops day by day, new subjects or lessons are added or stuffed into the existing syllabus. Students learn all these subjects superficially and have no guts to accept jobs in those new areas. That’s why it is now proposed to have an under graduate level specialization by splitting B. Pharm into Industrial and Clinical courses. This author has proposed it in 2003 it self [Pharmabiz 14.8.2003] and continuously raising this demand in all the forums. Now it seems, it may see the light of the day shortly. Even this may be an interim arrangement, why, let us discuss at the end.  

Five years course
It is again a new proposal raised recently. The advocates of this proposal point out the requirements of pharmacists with minimum of 5 years pharmacy education in foreign countries. They argue our graduates can get job in those countries without studying PG. It is also seems to be reasonable. But it failed to address the needs of pharma industry as it is concerned with community or hospital pharmacist only. It is also silent about the proposal of splitting B. Pharm. It will open a pandora’s box with a question whether the 5-year degree course is under graduate degree or PG degree as there is M. Pharm. What to do with that? Will everybody accept to spend 7 years to get a PG degree? Just to enable few hundred people to get job abroad, will it be wise to go for a 5-year degree by ignoring local needs and conditions?

Six years course
Pharm. D, a 6-year course is taught in India since last 15 years and is struggling to find a place in health care team as clinical pharmacist. But do not under estimate it, it is the star of hope in the pharmacy horizon. Already developed countries adopted it and abandoned all short-term courses. Readers may be aware only 6 years Pharm. D holders are eligible for community and hospital pharmacist posts there. They give so much importance, care and concern in the welfare of their people. As present day drugs are potent, risky and like double edged weapons they started engaging highly qualified pharmacists, similar to appointing a well-trained driver to drive a bulldozer, not engaging an auto rikshaw driver!  It is ridiculous we Indians want to use modern, sophisticated and powerful drugs but not ready to use modern, knowledgeable pharmacists to handle it. 

Ultimately clinical sector should have only 6-year Pharm. D graduates. That is an ideal position. At that point of time, we can discontinue B. Pharm clinical specialization and continue only B. Pharm industrial course for pharma industry. But present Indian ground realities are not suitable for that ideal position. Here there are influential people who do not allow government to abolish even D. Pharm, leave alone B. Pharm!

The fix
People try to fix the problem to suit their interest. Variety of people in one profession brings in variety of solutions for one problem! They try to hijack or rig or fix it to their advantage. They will try to divert, confuse or at least delay the forward movement of the profession. We should be vigilant and go step by step. First let us replace D. Pharm with B. Pharm, later, say after 10 to 15 years, we can replace B. Pharm with Pharm. D. By then India may be a developed country, till then let our Pharm D holders remain in wards as clinical pharmacists and let the progressive well-wishers propagate the services of highly qualified pharmacists among the masses, once the people, first the educated lot, realize the benefits, they themselves will start demanding it. It may seem to be a time-consuming long road but you can make it shorter by your efforts and works. Do not lose hope dear pharmacists, there will be dawn one day!