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 The newly constituted state pharmacy council in Gujarat (GSPC) is likely to frame rules to make ‘binding obligations’ for registered pharmacists based on the ethical conduct stated in the Pharmacy Practice Regulations (PPR) 2015 for promoting ethical pharmacy profession in community and hospital pharmacies, it is learnt.
These obligations and disciplines that stem from the Pharmacy Act 1948 will be made applicable for hospital pharmacists, community pharmacists, drug information pharmacists and clinical pharmacists.
“The pharmacist will be bound to oblige the rules and regulations of the state pharmacy council with regard to provisions of the Pharmacy Act 1948 and the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015 in premises where medications are stored and dispensed. The pharmacist will be the guardian of the pharmacy act and he must uphold ethical standards of the profession”, said Bharatbhai Patel, the newly elected president of the GSPC.
He was elected president of the GSPC last week. He was the vice-president of the council for the last 15 years.
Talking to Pharmabiz over telephone from Ahmedabad, Patel said a serious issue the council is facing today is in the form of a complaint and it is about displaying ‘discount boards and banners’ by certain medical shops. These shops sell medicines at discounted prices to attract more customers. This is an unethical way of making profits by selling medicines at prices less than the MRP, and the pharmacists are not supposed to support such unethical business. The council will no way support this kind of unscrupulous medicine business with the support of registered pharmacists whose educational qualification is the basis of getting a retail licence from the competent authority.
So, the registered pharmacists working in such discount pharmacies should refrain from such disreputable activities, otherwise they will be held liable for this wrong doing by medical shop owners. All the pharmacists will be instructed not to support or use discount boards on their medical shops, and this direction has to be taken by them as a binding obligation, he told Pharmabiz.
Another important thing the council plans to implement is to appoint pharmacy inspectors in all the districts. The pharmacy inspectors will be directed to inspect pharmacies with discount boards also. In the first phase, the council will appoint 10 pharmacy inspectors, gradually the number will be increased. All over Gujarat, there are 34 districts, all of which will have inspectors by the end of this year, he said.
GSPC will discuss with the state government to create separate job opportunities and specific posts in health service for the Pharm D graduates. The posts of clinical pharmacists (CP) and drug information pharmacists (DIP) are specific areas for Pharm D professionals.
The council is currently conducting refresher courses for practicing pharmacists. These courses will be strengthened and more workshops and seminars will be conducted every month. Similarly, as a commitment of the council, it will work for better working conditions for the pharmacists with a focus on continuous professional development. But Patel did not say what his strategies are to develop the working conditions.
To enhance pharmaceutical education and professional development, GSPC will engage in tie-ups with pharmacy institutions, and bridge-courses will be conducted for working pharmacists in the government sector and in the community pharmacies. The tie-up is aimed to fill the gap between academia and profession, and also to ensure that both the students and the practicing pharmacists stay updated with the latest advancements in the field.
Jignesh Patel, general secretary of the Indian Pharmacist Association Gujarat state committee, has expressed the optimism that the new council under the leadership of Bharatbhai Patel will take the organisation to greater heights, continuing the legacy of Dr Montu Kumar Patel, current president of the PCI, who had earlier served as the president of the GSPC.
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