The role of a pharmacist is undergoing major changes world over in the wake of notable progress made by the pharmaceutical science and education today. Pharmaceutical science is considered to be an independent branch of science dealing with all aspects of drugs and pharmaceuticals. A pharmacist is a vital link in the physician-patient chain and he is expected to play a key role in the dissemination of pharmaceutical knowledge. The practice of pharmacy includes the custody, preparation and distribution of pharmaceutical products besides providing advice on health and nutrition related issues. A pharmacist today needs to be fully equipped with all these capabilities. In India, although pharmaceutical industry has advanced over the last 25 years, the pharmacist here continues to be a backroom boy in a pharmaceutical factory or a salesman in a retail pharmacy. This image has to change and it can be done only by raising the educational standards of pharmacists. There has been no serious attempt to modify the curricula of pharmacy education in India for several years. Whereas, manufacturing standards, quality control practices, research activities and clinical practices in this industry have undergone critical changes during these years. A fresh graduate coming out of a pharmacy college in India is largely oblivious of these ground realities. With growing internationalization of Indian pharmaceutical industry, the standards of pharmacy education need to be world class. Pharmacy Council of India has been pressing for this change for years and the government has finally approved starting of much sought after six year Pharm D course in India.
Near about 50 Pharmacy colleges including Manipal college of Pharmaceutical sciences are Offering Pharm. D. program at present. PCI approved intake of only 30 students per batch to maintain the quality of program. Proper integrated hospital facilities are mandatory for getting approval for this course by the college. Curriculum for the course is finalized, which will include regular Pharmacy subjects as well as sufficient exposure in clinical pharmacy practices (Hospital rounds and partial Clinical training in 4th& 5th year and complete 1 year training in the hospital in last year of the course). The course is framed in such a way that, it can meet international standards. . Any one can join this program with minimum qualification of 10+2 (Science –Biology or Mathematics). PCI will continue its B.Pharm as well as M.Pharm (Pharmacy Practice) program as such in future. B.Pharm and M.Pharm passed candidates can also do Pharm.D. by undergoing 3 year course framed by PCI which will mainly concentrate on clinical exposure and Pharmacy Practice. The first academic batch of Pharm.D. will come out in 2014. The major aim behind this course is to raise the standard of Pharmacy Profession in India in terms of Pharmacy Practices as well as making Pharmacy degree acceptable to various other countries including US and UK.
Introduction
Few days back, one of my friends had posted a blog imparting the news of a 'PharmD awareness programme' that was held at Manipal Institute of Pharmaceutical Science. Through this blog, I would like to express my ideas and views about the necessity of PharmD course and profession in India.
Drawbacks of B.Pharm profession
B.Pharm has been in a run since 1948 in India. Though, now it is a well recognized profession in our nation. However, the pharmacy profession has been quite unsuccessful in filling up the requirement of a 'high quality health'. This may be mainly due to the industrial orientation and a favour that has been given to the B.Pharm curriculum. The 'health care' aspect is totally lacking. Although, this issue was dealt with in one of my blogs, I would like to concentrate on this topic again, but in brief.
Most of the B.Pharm passed out graduates mainly enter either pharmaceutical industry or R & D. Although we are legal dealers of drugs and we have expertized information about drugs and their use, we can't apply our knowledge to health-care of patients, which requires few advanced training and skill.
Role of PharmD
The requirement of controlling the adverse drug reactions, patient compliance, therapeutic drug monitoring, Better drug dosage regimen etc. are few among many which need to be achieved. The emerging field of PharmD in India is the ultimate requirement necessary to achieve better patient compliance. It is mainly hospital oriented, as evident from the fact that it's a compulsion that the colleges offering the course must have an adjoined hospital. Patient councelling is another requirement that PharmD promises to provide.
Since, India is a multi-ethnic nation with wide genetic diversity, it's not necessary that a drug would achieve same action and activity with same efficacy as that achieved in some other individual. The reason lies on the concept of Individualization of Drug Therapy (IDT), which states that no two individuals could show same response to a same drug under similar diseased condition due to different personal profile and health factors. This hastens up the need of such a medical service that can overpower these drawbacks. Physicians are expertise mainly in diagnosing a disease and prescribing drugs. But for ensuring patient compliance and acceptability, the job of a pharmacist comes into play. A PharmD professional is trained in such a field.
Hence, personally I feel that there is a great necessity of a PharmD course in a country like India where its greatly required to achieve better drug control and compliance among patients, who are greatly unknown to drug knowledge and awareness about health. The combined patient treatment by a physician and Pharmacist is the ultimate and superior most way of achieving better patient compatibility.
Near about 50 Pharmacy colleges including Manipal college of Pharmaceutical sciences are Offering Pharm. D. program at present. PCI approved intake of only 30 students per batch to maintain the quality of program. Proper integrated hospital facilities are mandatory for getting approval for this course by the college. Curriculum for the course is finalized, which will include regular Pharmacy subjects as well as sufficient exposure in clinical pharmacy practices (Hospital rounds and partial Clinical training in 4th& 5th year and complete 1 year training in the hospital in last year of the course). The course is framed in such a way that, it can meet international standards. . Any one can join this program with minimum qualification of 10+2 (Science –Biology or Mathematics). PCI will continue its B.Pharm as well as M.Pharm (Pharmacy Practice) program as such in future. B.Pharm and M.Pharm passed candidates can also do Pharm.D. by undergoing 3 year course framed by PCI which will mainly concentrate on clinical exposure and Pharmacy Practice. The first academic batch of Pharm.D. will come out in 2014. The major aim behind this course is to raise the standard of Pharmacy Profession in India in terms of Pharmacy Practices as well as making Pharmacy degree acceptable to various other countries including US and UK.
Introduction
Few days back, one of my friends had posted a blog imparting the news of a 'PharmD awareness programme' that was held at Manipal Institute of Pharmaceutical Science. Through this blog, I would like to express my ideas and views about the necessity of PharmD course and profession in India.
Drawbacks of B.Pharm profession
B.Pharm has been in a run since 1948 in India. Though, now it is a well recognized profession in our nation. However, the pharmacy profession has been quite unsuccessful in filling up the requirement of a 'high quality health'. This may be mainly due to the industrial orientation and a favour that has been given to the B.Pharm curriculum. The 'health care' aspect is totally lacking. Although, this issue was dealt with in one of my blogs, I would like to concentrate on this topic again, but in brief.
Most of the B.Pharm passed out graduates mainly enter either pharmaceutical industry or R & D. Although we are legal dealers of drugs and we have expertized information about drugs and their use, we can't apply our knowledge to health-care of patients, which requires few advanced training and skill.
Role of PharmD
The requirement of controlling the adverse drug reactions, patient compliance, therapeutic drug monitoring, Better drug dosage regimen etc. are few among many which need to be achieved. The emerging field of PharmD in India is the ultimate requirement necessary to achieve better patient compliance. It is mainly hospital oriented, as evident from the fact that it's a compulsion that the colleges offering the course must have an adjoined hospital. Patient councelling is another requirement that PharmD promises to provide.
Since, India is a multi-ethnic nation with wide genetic diversity, it's not necessary that a drug would achieve same action and activity with same efficacy as that achieved in some other individual. The reason lies on the concept of Individualization of Drug Therapy (IDT), which states that no two individuals could show same response to a same drug under similar diseased condition due to different personal profile and health factors. This hastens up the need of such a medical service that can overpower these drawbacks. Physicians are expertise mainly in diagnosing a disease and prescribing drugs. But for ensuring patient compliance and acceptability, the job of a pharmacist comes into play. A PharmD professional is trained in such a field.
Hence, personally I feel that there is a great necessity of a PharmD course in a country like India where its greatly required to achieve better drug control and compliance among patients, who are greatly unknown to drug knowledge and awareness about health. The combined patient treatment by a physician and Pharmacist is the ultimate and superior most way of achieving better patient compatibility.
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