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The All India Government, Private & Public Sector Pharmacist Association (AIPA) has urged the Karnataka government to integrate digital health education and practice into the pharmacy training for undergraduate programme of the 4-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), a comprehensive instruction focusing on drug formulation, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and patient counselling.
Dr BS Desai, national president, AIPA said that as per the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, for working registered pharmacy professionals and undergraduate pharmacy students will now require digital exposure enabling them to deliver technology-enabled healthcare services in hospital community setting.
NEP 2020 reforms for pharmacy education in India focus on flexible, multidisciplinary, and skill-based learning. Its key initiatives include updated B Pharm curricula, multiple entry/exit options, integration of technology like artificial intelligence (AI), data analysis, and emphasis on research, entrepreneurship, and industry-oriented training.
“Our proposal is for a modular, credit-based digital health pathway embedded within the government colleges of pharmacy aligned with the state health department and universities and health and family welfare initiatives. It emphasises practical exposure in e-health, tele-pharmacy, electronic heath records (EHR), clinical decision support, pharmacovigilance, data analytics and digital public health systems”, said Dr Desai in his note to the Karnataka minister for higher education Dr MC Sudhakar.
Through lateral entry in service training and blended learning, the program strengthens work capacity while supporting in public healthcare delivery service excellence. This is based on the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), which has been upgraded to Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), that aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and integrates with the Digital India mission, said Dr Desai.
Now we see that this would be in sync with RUSA 8.0 Digital India and the national digital health mission (ABDM) objectives. It will create a sustainable pipeline of digitally skilled pharmacists for public health institution, said Dr Desai adding that the expected outcomes include better patient care, enhanced medication, safety, health system integration and positioning of pharmacists as key contributors to India’s digital health mission.
Indian pharma is now strengthening its presence globally, hence the need to integrate digital health education and practice into the pharmacy training of B Pharm is of paramount as this would be help the students to lay the foundation of digital technology which is now all pervasive in the regulatory services, research, manufacture and supply chain among others, he said.
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