Pharmacy Council of India

PCI as a pharmacy educationist regulatory body has realized the need to strengthen and upgrade the pharmacy curriculum to produce competent pharmacist workforce which is able to meet the growing demands of the industry and community. As a step towards this direction PCI has proposed some amendments to the Pharmacy Act which have been submitted to the Health Ministry for approval.

Major amendments proposed are the imperative need of the pharmacy education to be regulated by PCI alone to avoid delicacy and dichotomy and also the up gradation of minimum registrable qualification from Diploma to Degree in pharmacy besides introduction of "Pharmacy Practice Regulations" for the first time in the country. This will certainly revolutionize the pharmacy education system to meet the growing demand of profession by ensuring competent workforce. To ascertain the views of the Pharmacy professionals on the proposed amendments, PCI convened a special meeting of all the stakeholders like representatives of Drug Control Deptts., Academics, Chemists & Druggist Associations, IPA, IHPA, MCI etc. with Health Ministry officials. The proposed amendments were appreciated and supported by all the Pharmacy professionals citing the amendments as futuristic and very well envisaged.

PCI has been actively pursuing the matter with the Health Ministry. In November, 2006, a presentation highlighting the salient features of amendment to Pharmacy Act was made to Hon'ble Health Minister. PCI has also forwarded a note to the Health Ministry for consideration of the "Committee of Secretaries" to solve the dual regulation of pharmacy education by PCI & AICTE.

Further the PCI has envisaged the need to set up National Schools of Pharmacy jointly by PCI and the Pharma Industry as a centre of excellence which will produce high quality pharmacist workforce tailor-made to suit the requirements of the industry. A committee of experts has been constituted to frame an action plan for making the proposed National School of Pharmacy a reality.