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The state and central governments should amend the pharmacy policy and direct the drug authorities to allow only need based licensing to pharmacy stores and shun indiscriminate permission to traders who come to establish medical stores, says Dr Uday Bhasker, deputy director and general secretary of AIDCOC.
Because of indiscriminate permission given to wealthy traders and non professionals to establish pharmacy stores across the country, the real B. Pharm and D. Pharm professionals are denied a chance to establish their own stores as they may not compete with the rich traders and large groups in the businesses.
Today opening a pharmacy store has become a lucrative business. Many pharmacists are registering at the Pharmacy Council and renting their certificates to traders to open medical stores on their behalf which is an unethical practice prevailing since long in India. With money and influence, large groups and wealthy traders are obtaining licenses from the drug controllers and establishing the drug stores and earning huge amounts of profits. “Every year huge number new pharmacy stores are being given permission. This kind of indiscriminate licensing system is making the medical shop owners to earn more profit. That is why they are resorting to go on strike creating inconvenience to the patients, which is unprofessional and unethical,” says Bhasker.
In view of this, the AIDCOC general secretary suggests that the government, the DCA, the pharmacists and the traders should come together and bring in new reforms and policy changes so that only need based licenses should be given to only professionals to open pharmacy stores and as per the requirement of a particular area or a hospital.
If pharmacy profession is to be protected and its dignity is to be maintained the government should begin the reform right at the licensing point. This would encourage real professionals to come forward to establish their own medical stores and wean out untrained and unqualified persons to dispense drugs at the drug stores. In this way the government should take necessary steps to create more jobs and more business opportunities for the B. Pharm and D. Pharm candidates in the country.
Every year thousands of students are passing out B. Pharm courses and roaming around due to lack of job opportunities. As in America the Indian government should also bring in new pharmacy policy where in the candidates should be registered only after a certain period of professional experience or training. This will not only improve the quality of the professionals but also inculcate the habit of doing research and think innovative to give something different to the society, opined Dr Bhasker.
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